Simplicity
by PrincessDarkHearts
Summary: Lara Reed is an aspiring journalist who moves to Sweet Amoris for a change of scenery. Her parents said it was a simple town. Lara was sure it wasn't. While she attempts to uncover the mystery of the school in the town, Lara finds herself falling for her newly appointed partner-in-crime Castiel. OCxCastiel.
1. Prologue

**A/N: Hi! As you can see, I'm back with a new story and character for a My Candy Love fanfiction. To those who've read my previous story and are reading this, welcome back. If you're new, welcome! I'll be updating every week, Saturday, Australia time.**

**As I faced a problem with my previous story being plagiarised, I'd like to tell you that this is my only account on this website. If I want to post my stories on multiple sites, I usually let that be known. However if this piece of work is being copied and used for another fanfic on any site (that is NOT me), please inform me. Thank you.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own My Candy Love or any of the characters. I'm just a huge fan.**

**Enjoy :)**

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**Prologue:  
**A lot of kids would be completely furious at their parents for moving them to a new school. Leaving their friends, their home and their comfort to a most likely permanent and different setting… They'd have to start all over again; re-establish boundaries, make new friends and attempt to… well, feel at home.

Lara Reed wasn't one of those kids. In fact, it was Lara who had suggested it to her parents to move from her old, simple and down-right boring town to somewhere new and exciting. Her parents, knowing their daughter had always been unsettled (especially when she stayed in one place for too long), reluctantly agreed after setting a few conditions;

1.) They'd have to approve of the place Lara picked and visit it _and_ the school she would be attending

2.) Lara would have to keep her grades up for an entire year (doing this meant she actually had to ATTEND school)

3.) She'd have to give up her crazy late-night journalistic trips and try getting some darn sleep for once

4.) If she DID do well in her exams and ended up moving to another town, they'd have to keep in regular contact

5.) And, last but not least, whether she moved or not; "Lara, please, please, PLEASE, stay out of trouble!"

So for an entire year Lara did what she could to impress her parents. She stopped her snooping, put down her camera and studied hard. When she finished with the amazing test scores her parents approved of, she told them about Sweet Amoris and the three went to check it out.

All Lara's hard work paid off because here she was, right at the beginning of starting her final year of high school, giving her parents a final hug before being handed the keys to the apartment she was staying in at Sweet Amoris. A final word from her mother warned her to make sure she took her prescribed medicine for her attention deficit disorder, which Lara promised her she would. With a wave, her parents hopped into their car, started the engine and drove off. Her mother yelled a goodbye from the window and Lara watched them turn the corner, a smile on her face.

She walked up the stairs to her apartment, the fourth floor and the sixth door, where her father had helped his daughter drag up her luggage and her mother had recorded the whole thing on her video camera, laughing all the way. Lara walked in, smiling to herself as she closed the door behind her and looked around the one-bedroom apartment. The living room was unnecessarily large for a teenager who didn't exactly have friends over to occupy it and the kitchen and bathroom were a little too small for her liking. But the bedroom was perfect. The empty walls were aching to have journal and newspaper clippings to decorate them, the ceiling was asking politely to be adorned with posters of her favourite things and the balcony that was connected to her room…

Well, that balcony was begging her to walk out and stare out at the town in some cliché stupor.

But, an aspiring journalist, Lara didn't mind the clichés having used them so much in the articles she wrote and so eagerly opened the sliding door and stepped out, the warm air of February blowing her long ginger curls around her body. Her bright blue eyes scanned Sweet Amoris through her glasses. In the distance, she saw the high school. Her parents had approved right away; Sweet Amoris was a nice town where nothing bad usually happened and the high school was incredibly good academically and athletically. Also, her Aunty Agatha lived about forty five minutes away by bus, so her parents were able to breathe easy knowing their daughter would have someone close by. Well, closer than the three hour drive they were away from her.

_Simple,_ was how her parents described the town. _Nice and simple_. Lara begged to differ. Nowhere was simple; not the city, not the country and not anywhere in between. Sure one could live a simple _life_, per say, but a simple town? No way. Every town had a story to tell, just like a person. Whether new or old, every place had a history or meaning behinds its establishment or an iconic figure who lived there. And Lara, who had purposely picked Sweet Amoris because something she couldn't quite place her finger on, called her to it. From the minute she discovered the town, she immediately felt a connection. She had told her parents that she wanted to go there because the high school was really good but personally, she picked it because she found it so darn interesting.

She knew that Sweet Amoris was more than meets the eye.

Lara grinned, her journalist juices kicking.

She couldn't wait to start school this week.


	2. Chapter 1: Beginnings

**Chapter 1: Beginnings  
**Lara narrowed her eyes, staring at the alarm clock next to her bed. She hand her hand poised on the stop button as she waited for the alarm to go off, having woken up a few minutes early in her excitement so start school at Sweet Amoris High. At exactly eight o'clock, the buzzer sounded and Lara quickly pressed the stop button before hopping out of bed to get ready. She freshened up, pinned her hair in a bun and adjusted her glasses. There was no uniform at Sweet Amoris and since it was hot, decided to wear shorts and a T-shirt. She wore her camera, her most prized possession, on her neck and slipped into sneakers before wolfing down her breakfast, grabbing her backpack, her bike and locking the door behind her as she exited her apartment.

She took the elevator down, which thankfully large enough to fit her bike, and then stepped outside to the front of the apartment building. It was a short walk to the school (which she had visited with her parents a few weeks earlier), but Lara wanted to ride. Walking was too slow for her; she needed something fast to keep up with her excitement. Putting her helmet in place, she hopped on her bike and pedalled, observing the town as she rode. There was a plaza with a large clothing outlet surrounded by a café, a jewellery store, a bank and a few other shops and stalls. She neared the school where a large park was situated directly opposite the entrance and stretched far, towards the shops she had left behind her. Then there was the school, with a large student-teacher car park at the side. Lara entered the car park and spotted the bike rack. She chained her bike and walked off to look at the building.

Sweet Amoris High was quite big and Lara had arrived well before classes started. She walked around the exterior, snapping a few pictures of the structure and the courtyard before entering the school. When she had come here with her parents to enrol, they had gone to the student council room to meet with the principal and the student body president. Nathaniel Gold, Lara recalled. Blond-hair, golden-eyes and a whole bunch of nice boy charm. Lara made her way to the student council room, slowly remembering the way as she walked along, humming to herself. She reached the room, where the door was wide open, and peered in to see Nathaniel sitting on a chair and reading a book.

"Hello." Lara greeted, stepping through the doorway.

Nathaniel's head lifted and he offered her a smile. "Good morning. Lara, right? Welcome to your first day at Sweet Amoris High School." He replied, rising from his seat and placing the book down on a nearby table.

Lara returned the smile and walked towards Nathaniel to shake his hand. He spoke politely, making small chat as he took Lara's photo for her ID card and gave her a timetable and a map of the school.  
"You like photography?" Nathaniel asked, looking at her camera.  
"Yeah. I like writing too though. I want to be a journalist." Lara told him.  
He nodded. "I guess I should mention it now that every student is expected to join a club as an extracurricular activity. If I remember correctly, there are both writing and photography clubs that may have a few spots open, if you're lucky. The sign-up sheet is pinned up on the second floor next to the science rooms." He explained.  
Lara grinned. "Thanks. I'll check it out later today."

Nathaniel smiled back at her, showing a set of perfect white teeth. He asked whether Lara had any questions (and she did, but refrained from asking. Let her get used to the school first. Then she'll begin her quest for answers) before dismissing her from the room. Lara examined her timetable as she walked down the corridor. She was planning on attending classes, just as she had (grumpily) promised her parents. Lara was just about to check out the club sign-up sheet when the shrill bell rang. _Later._ She told herself. Right now, she was just excited to attend class and see what Sweet Amoris had to offer.

* * *

Lara was like a magnet. Her personality naturally drew people towards her, whether they liked her or not. She recounted stories (some true, some plucked out of the air), myths, fables, anything. People listened and laughed and commented and debated with her, asking to hear more. Which is why by the end of her first school day, Lara had a nice little group of students gathered around her, listening to her stories.

"So you really jumped the fence _just_ to get a picture of the guy you wanted to interview?" A red haired girl named Iris had asked, walking alongside Lara, eyes wide.  
"Yep."  
"It didn't bother you that he was violent, impulsive and had a Rottweiler that once bit someone so hard it broke a bone?" Kim, a dark girl with sparkling green eyes asked.  
"Nope. That made it more exciting."  
"I like you already! We can be partners in crime!" Rosalya, a member of the photography club said with a laugh, linking her arm with Lara.  
"If you ask me, I'd say you're asking for a death wish." Capucine, a girl who fell in the category of people who disliked Lara but was too interested in what she was saying to stay away from her, commented, a sneer on her face.  
"You know, I get that a lot." Lara replied, grinning.

The girls laughed and Capucine shook her head as they all walked towards the front doors of the school.  
"Oh, wait a sec! I've forgotten to see the club-sign-up sheet." Lara said, stopping in her tracks.  
"Do you know where it is?" A brown haired girl named Melody asked.  
"Yeah. Second floor next to the science rooms, right?" The girls nodded. "In that case, I'll see you all tomorrow." Lara said, breaking away from the group.

Lara hurried back to the flight of steps that led to the second floor, waving back to the girls. When she reached the sign-up sheet, she made a face at the only clubs available. "Only basketball and gardening are left?" She mumbled to herself.

_Darn. Oh well._

Lara decided to pick gardening. She was used to the outdoors – being a photographer required her to become accustomed to all different kinds of environments – and so wrote her name on the pinned sheet of paper, right under the struck out name of someone she recognised.

"Kentin, Ken…" Lara read the crossed out script and the name underneath it. She knew a Kentin. He was someone from her old school. Brown bowl-haircut, thick rimmed glasses, short. He was pretty upset when Lara told him that she was leaving. Truthfully, while Kentin seemed like a nice guy, she _had_ stumbled upon a few shakily and poor-quality taken photos of her while she was snooping in his locker (she had snooped in almost everyone's locker). At first, Lara was shocked. But then she sighed. It was exactly what she did to others. She couldn't exactly hate Ken for doing the same to her. When Kentin found out Lara knew, he had blushed a deep red and looked incredibly guilty, even when Lara joked that she could give him some tips on taking better photos.

To sum the boy up in one word:  
Awkward.

_Nah._ Lara thought, turning away from the board and walking to the staircase. _It can't be the Kentin I know._

Lara stopped in her tracks and thought for a moment. Now that the school was empty, she could explore the inside properly. She took the cap off her camera and switched the device on, holding it in front of her just in case something interesting or unusual caught her eye. She walked around for a good half-an-hour in the quiet hallway, seeing nothing of particular interest but marvelling at the interior design. The school was quite old but looked brand new. There were no cracks in the walls or stepped-on gum pieces on the clean ground. The corners of the walls and the ceilings had carvings of random designs that were quite intricate and detailed. Lara took a few snaps and moved along. When she had had enough, Lara decided she wanted to bike around town before it got dark and so made her way down to the car park.

When she reached the bike rack, Lara saw a student there. This took Lara by surprise as she had expected everyone to be home by now. His arms were crossed and he looked incredibly pissed off – the scowl on his face proved it. Lara noticed his right fist was balled tight, the white of a paper poking out. He wore a leather jacket over a red top which matched his bright red hair. He was standing right in front of her bike, eyes narrowed as if he could make it explode with his mind. There was also a black motorbike that hadn't been there when she chained her own to the rack this morning.

The boy heard Lara's footsteps and turned to look at her. Lara smiled at him while the boy continued to scowl.

"Hiya. Is that yours?" Lara asked, pointing to the motorbike.  
"Yes it is, and you happen to have taken my spot." The boy said.  
"Your spot?" Lara asked, eyes scanning the bike rack. She grinned cheekily. "Where's your name?"  
The boy frowned. "What?" He asked.  
"Can't be your spot if it doesn't have your name on it." Lara said.  
The boy narrowed his eyes. "Who are you?" He asked.  
"New girl." Lara replied cheerfully.  
"Well 'new girl', I don't need my name written anywhere. This is my spot and everybody at this school knows it. Next time, dump your bike somewhere else." He told her angrily.

To his surprise, Lara laughed. "Jeez, it's just a bike rack, no need for the overreaction!" She said. Lara held up her camera. "Hey, mind if I take a photo of you?"  
The boy was shocked, not expecting such a lively reaction, which gave Lara the chance to quickly take a picture.  
"Hey!" He exclaimed, snapping out of his daze.  
"Don't worry, it's not going anywhere." Lara said pleasantly.  
"Delete it!" He ordered.  
"What's your name?" Lara asked, ignoring the demand.  
"_Excuse me?_" He asked in surprise.  
"I asked for your name. I can't go around calling you angry-red-haired-boy-that-owns-the-bike-rack can I?" Lara told him, laughing.  
"And why would I tell _you_ my name?" He asked.  
"Because if you do, I'll delete the picture." Lara promised.

The boy contemplated the offer and didn't look pleased. He ran his fingers through his red hair, groaning. All the same, he spoke. "… It's Castiel Fairman. Now delete the damn picture, new girl." He said.  
"Alright, alright, I will!" Lara laughed, making true on her promise and deleting the image off her camera before capping the lens. "It's nice to meet you Castiel." She said, sticking her hand out for a handshake.  
Castiel stood dumbfounded for a while, staring at her hand.  
Lara cocked her head to the side. "What's wrong?" She asked.  
Castiel turned his head and uncrossed his arms. "You're crazy." He said, shoving the paper he held in his jacket pocket.

"Hey, is that Winged Skull?" Lara asked, looking at his now visible shirt.  
Castiel's head snapped back to face her. "You know Winged Skull?" He asked (in a voice that definitely did _not_ show his excitement to have met a potentially fellow fan).  
"Of course I do. Indie-band from Melbourne. One of the only bands that have kept their image consistent throughout the years, haven't conformed to suit society's interests and maintain that classic 'stick it to the man' attitude. I interviewed them once."  
Castiel's eyes widened. "You've _interviewed_ them?" He asked in disbelief.  
Lara nodded. "Yep. It was a short interview though, because security found out that I had snuck backstage posing as a reporter and didn't actually have any authority to be there. I was lucky to get out of it with only a warning." Lara laughed. "That was a great day. Anyway, do you think you could move a little so I can get to my bike?"

Castiel moved over, still quite shocked at the new girl. It had barely been five minutes since they had met yet Castiel found himself intrigued by her. Finding himself being interested in someone so quickly?

_That _never happened.

"What's your name, new girl?" He asked suddenly.  
Lara smiled. "How about you show me a reason to give you my name?" She said.  
Castiel found himself smirking at the challenge. "_I can't go around calling you new-girl now, can I_?" He mocked.  
Lara burst into laughter. "Using my own lines against me is cheating!" She said. "Think of something else!"  
Castiel crossed his arms again. He thought for a moment, his eyes being drawn to the camera around Lara's neck.

"Hey new girl, are you a photographer?" He finally asked.  
"An aspiring photographer and journalist. Why?" Lara asked.  
"Come with me." Castiel said, reaching for Lara's arm and leading her back to the school.

_Castiel showed Lara several floors, he told her that where they were was off limits to students. If Lara understood correctly, Castiel had stolen a key from the teachers' lounge. Right now, they were in front of a door he was opening with that very key ~ date dialogue, MCL, episode 1._

The door 'clicked' and Castiel turned and smirked at the curious-looking Lara.  
"You're going to give me your name after I show you this place?" He asked for confirmation.  
Lara grinned. "If it impresses me." She teased.

Castiel twisted the handle, opening the door with one hand, his other still holding firmly onto Lara's arm. A burst of warm wind greeted the two and Castiel led her outside to a small balcony. Lara's eyes widened as she took in the sight of Sweet Amoris from a different angle, one her own apartment balcony couldn't provide. It was opposite from the shops and stalls she saw from her apartment. Instead, after the few blocks of houses, there was a large green park that stretched both longways and sideways before lush green forest and all the way in the distance, the sparkling blue of what Lara assumed was a beach. She smiled widely, hands instinctively reaching for the camera around her neck. Castiel let go of her and crossed his arms in front of himself, smirking. He watched as Lara took photos of the scenery and chatted excitedly to herself about the pictures she was taking.  
"How did you even get the keys if this place is off-limits?" She asked, finally capping her camera.  
"Stole 'em last year. You know, this balcony wasn't even meant to be made in the first place. The builders fucked up and accidently put it here." Castiel informed her.

"Well I'm glad they did. I got some really good photos." Lara mused.

The two stood side by side in silence for a while. It was a comfortable silence; they didn't need to speak. Lara had so many questions running through her head that she wanted to ask Castiel. It seemed like he had lived in Sweet Amoris his entire life; he must know a lot about the town's history. She was dying to ask him about any significant events or people that she could use for the articles she wanted to write. But she knew when to keep quiet and so filed the questions away for later.

Finally, Castiel broke the silence. "So new girl, are you going to tell me your name?" He asked.  
Lara grinned. "Only if you promise me one more thing."  
"And that would be?" Castiel asked, crossing his arms.  
"That I get to hang out here whenever I want."  
Castiel smirked. "Done. That's if you can get the keys off me." He told her, jingling the keys in his hand.  
Lara laughed. "Deal." She turned to look at Castiel. "My name is Lara Reed."

Castiel nodded. The two were silent again, looking at the town for a few minutes more before they decided to leave. Castiel locked the door and Lara bounded down the stairs in front of him. They walked back to the bike rack in the car park, each hopping onto their respective vehicles.  
"Hey Castiel?" Lara called, giving her helmet strap a final tug.  
"What is it, Lara Reed?" He asked.  
Lara grinned. "See you tomorrow!"

With that, Lara pedalled away, raising a hand in a wave. Castiel shook his head and although he told himself he _didn't_ want to be stuck babysitting the crazy new girl, he couldn't help feel excited to see her the next day.

He also couldn't help the small smile that escaped his lips.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you AshleyMyree and BadGrasshopper for reviewing. Glad you like it so far :3**


	3. Chapter 2: Adapting to Sweet Amoris

**A/N: Terribly sorry for the late upload. I had problems with the Internet. I'll be uploading two chapters now since this is a bit of a filler. As usual, I do not own My Candy Love or the characters! Enjoy!  
**

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**Chapter 2: Adapting to Sweet Amoris  
**Lara's first two weeks at Sweet Amoris High School had been incredibly busy. It was the first time she had ever moved schools and she was stuck in a cycle of introducing herself to teachers and students alike and finding herself after getting lost in the hallways. However, despite the hectic start, Lara knew by the end of her first week that moving to Sweet Amoris was the best idea she had ever had. Everyone was different and independent, unlike the lechers and conformists she had to put up with at her old school. No matter who the student was or how they acted, they had goals for the future; Nathaniel aspired to be a lawyer, Rosalya wanted to design clothes, Peggy wanted to be a reporter… Lara loved how everyone was different and it inspired her to further pursue her own goals.

Lara had met some people she _didn't_ like as much as others. Turns out nice-boy-Nathaniel had an extremely annoying sister named Amber who was every bit stereotypical diva you could imagine. Her two friends, Li and Charlotte, followed her everywhere and were just as rude, bitchy and mean. When Lara had accidently bumped into them in the hallway, Charlotte narrowed her eyes and _tutted_, Li tossed her hair and demanded Lara apologise while Amber called her a "clumsy ginger that needs to watch where the fuck she's going". Lara watched the three walk off and frowned.

"So I see you've met those three." The familiar laughing voice of Rosalya said. Lara turned to smile at her new friend.

"Not the best greeting I've received so far." Lara joked, walking up to Rosalya, who linked their arms and began walking down the hallway.  
"So tell me Lara, how are you finding the school?" Rosalya asked.  
"I think it's great! Definitely different from the old school. Hey, know any cool rumours about the town I can use for my article?" Lara replied.  
"Article?"  
"A personal project. I like to document whatever I can about a person or place and then write about it." Lara explained.  
"It sounds like you're a stalker." Rosalya joked.  
Lara stuck her tongue out at her friend.  
"Wow. I've never met someone who has the energy to do something like that." Rosalya commented, shaking her head.  
"Consider it practise for the future when I become a journalist." Lara said with a smile.  
Rosalya raised her eyebrows. "Geez, you must be really good at schoolwork if you're that dedicated."  
Lara laughed. "Actually when it comes to schoolwork I'm only interested in English and History and even then I can't sit still long enough to listen to what the teacher says. I have to get started on writing. Now, back to what I was asking before. Do you know anything interesting?"  
"Hmm, I have heard a few rumours but nothing too juicy. Let's see…"

Rosalya's rumours consisted mainly of gossip on other students. A fellow photographer, Rosalya managed to find herself in many situations, many accidental, where she would overhear conversations between students or teachers or see things she shouldn't.

"Since you're such close friends with Amber now," Rosalya joked, "I'll let you know that she has nut allergies. Nothing too extreme; she just gets these terrible rashes."

Lara grinned. "I don't think I can use that for my article but it's pretty useful information." Lara winked. Rosalya laughed and continued her gossip until the bell rang for class and the two parted ways.

Lara walked off happily to her next class which was (thankfully for her as it was one of her favourites) English. The teacher, Mr Faraize, was also new to the school and seemed to be nice enough, but quite nervous, jumpy and _extremely _slow for Lara's pace. She often caught herself tapping her foot, shaking her leg or just jotting down her thoughts as she waited for Mr Faraize to move on, sometimes making a little bit of noise that distracted the class. She had to remind herself to relax a little. Mr Faraize and other staff members were aware of her ADD and so were less harsh on Lara if they found her unable to pay full attention in class, but the girl didn't want to push her luck.

Castiel was in Lara's English class but was rarely ever there. It made Lara wonder where he went when he wasn't in class. She had gotten to know him a little better since their first meeting and they got along really well, which according to her friends, was something pretty rare for Castiel as he barely got along with anyone. He really only had one close friend, a boy named Lysander whom Lara hadn't met yet as he was on holidays. Lara could see why people decided to stay away from Castiel; the red-head had a very strong-willed personality that many people would feel intimated by. He wasn't afraid to show disdain and was quick to be angered. Lara however wasn't affected by his temper, countering his complaints with teasing and laughing as he shook his head and called her crazy. As a result, Castiel found that she was fun to talk to and the smart-arse could spend quite a while with Lara just throwing jokes back and forth with her.

Fortunately today, Castiel was in class, sitting in a seat near the back and next to the window. He nodded in Lara's direction as she walked up the lined desks to sit next to him, passing by another new student like herself who waved to her excitedly.

Yeah. Turns out the Kentin that had his name on the Gardening club list _was_ the same one who had attended Lara's old school. When Lara confronted him about it, Kentin replied nervously that he had begged his parents to move him to Sweet Amoris so that he could be close to her. Even this overstepped Lara's boundaries; yes she was persistent in getting information for her personal projects but knew when to let sleeping dogs lie. She couldn't see herself moving so far away from home just to be near someone else _permanently. _Kentin had also told a slighted shocked Lara in the hallway in the previous week and announced happily that he was here to stay. She avoided him as much as she could but it proved hard because he constantly followed her around.

[Lara considered it a dose of her own medicine. After all, her life consisted of following people around in order to write about their lives or stories. The fact that she was on the receiving end of this treatment was poetic justice, which she acknowledged with a sigh.]

Lara smiled nervously and lifted her hand in greeting to Kentin, who motioned for her to sit in the vacant seat next to him. Lara pointed back to Castiel, an indication that she was already going to sit next to him. Kentin turned and instantly froze when he saw the redhead, immediately turning back to face the front of the room.

That was the only way to get Kentin off Lara's back. Kentin was one of the people who was incredibly intimidated and scared by Castiel and would walk the other way when he saw him coming. Lara wasn't _using_ Castiel or anything to get Kentin off her back… She couldn't_ help_ it if she and the red-head spent a lot of time together, after all.

Lara passed Kentin and sat in the seat next to Castiel, flashing him a smile. "Heya Cas." She greeted.  
Castiel scrunched up his face.  
"It's Castiel." He corrected.  
"Where do you go off to when you're not in class? The balcony?" Lara ignored the correction and began to ask Castiel questions about his whereabouts.  
"Why should I tell you any of this stuff?" He countered.  
Lara smiled. "What if I want to skip to?" She asked sweetly.  
Castiel was mildly shocked and then smirked. "Oh? I thought you liked English?" Castiel asked.  
"I _do_, but Mr Faraize can be so slow sometimes." Lara argued.  
"You're just impatient, new girl." Castiel rolled his eyes.

At that moment Mr Faraize walked into the classroom, holding a large stack of papers in front of him. He had dark brown hair and wore circular glasses that kept slipping down his nose. "G-good morning everyone." He gave the class a large smile as he set the papers on the front desk. As he began the lesson, Lara whispered across to Castiel.  
"I still expect you to tell me where you go when you skip class." She said with a cheeky grin, reaching for her bag to get out her workbook.

Castiel lightly snorted and crossed his arms. "Maybe." He whispered back.

Lara stuck her tongue out at Castiel and chuckled to herself when he replied with a glare before turning her head to the front of the classroom to pay attention.


	4. Chapter 3: Signs of conflict

**Chapter 3: Signs of conflict  
**"…And then, right when I thought it was safe to come out of the locker, I heard this loud _boom_ noise! It shocked the skin right off my bones! I peeked out of the little slits in the door and although it was hard to see, I _definitely_ saw that it was a student _making out_ with the sport teacher and they had fallen on the floor!" Lara told her fellow classmates, who were all sitting in the school's cafeteria for lunch before next period. Today was Friday, which meant that their final class was attending the extra-curricular activity they signed up for.

"No _way_!" Kim exclaimed.  
"I swear it!" Lara promised.  
"Show us a picture then." Capucine demanded, crossing her arms.  
"I didn't get to take one. I was stuck in that stupid locker and couldn't get a clear view to see what was going on, let alone take a photo." Lara grumbled.  
"Can you imagine making out with a teacher? Like Mr Boris?" Rosalya commented with a laugh, receiving a couple of disgusted groans from the girls. Mr Boris was a sport and drama teacher, a very friendly muscular man with long blond hair who was terribly kind. Lara had spoken to him a few times in the hallway; he loved to talk and Lara loved to listen.  
"Rosa, please never say that _again._" Melody told the girl, shaking her head.  
"What happened to the student and the teacher?" Violette asked softly.

"Well, I was positioned with a difficult decision that day." Lara mused. She lifted the palm of her right hand upward. "I could've went straight to the principal and told her what was going on. You never know, maybe this teacher was a criminal or something." She then lifted her left hand. "Or I could've just kept quiet and let them be, even though a student-teacher relationship was completely banned. It was a hard decision to make but I figured that since the student was due to graduate in a few days and it was be okay for her have a relationship with her former teacher, I'd just let it be."

"I reckon you should've just told." Kim said, one of her eyebrows lifting in concern. "I mean, seriously, he could've been a creep or something."

Lara smirked. "Oh but he wasn't. You see, I confronted the student and informed her that I happened to know about her – _ahem_ – 'secret love' and she freaked out and told me everything. I promised her I wouldn't tell anyone only if she promised me that she would go to a teacher straight away if he tried anything nasty." She told the girls.  
"Jeez Lara, you lived a really interesting life back in your old home." Iris commented.  
"It was interesting, for a while. But it got quite uneventful and the people became boring. It was time for change." Lara said happily.

The girls chatted amongst themselves for the duration of the lunch break, standing up to leave for their extra-curricular activities when the bell rang. As they made their way to the door of the cafeteria, it opened widely and Nathaniel walked in, looking around.

"Hey Nate." Melody greeted.  
"Hi Melody. Have you seen… oh, Lara, there you are." Nathaniel walked up to Lara.  
"Heya Pres. What's up?" Lara asked. She hadn't seen him for a while.  
"I have a favour to ask. You're friends with Castiel, right?" He asked her.  
"I'd say we are. What do you need?" Lara asked, waving to the girls who pointed to the door, taking their leave. Violette waited patiently by the door, as she was in the gardening club with Lara.  
"Can you please give him this note when you see him? It's an absentee note he needs to sign and hand back to me, otherwise he'll get a detention." Nathaniel told the girl, holding the paper out for her.  
"Sure." She replied, taking the note. "Although, aren't his parents supposed to sign the note?" She asked.  
"Yeah, but Castiel is different. His parents travel a lot so he's independent and any notes that a parent or carer would sign, has to be signed by himself instead." Nathaniel explained.  
"Oh okay. Alright Nate, I'll give it to him." Lara said with a smile.  
Nathaniel sighed with relief. "Thanks Lara. I owe you one." He flashed her a stunning smile. "Just get it back to me when it's been signed. I'll be in the Student Council Room." He told her.  
With that, he turned to leave the cafeteria.

"Well, I guess I'll go look for Castiel. Oh, I'll walk you to the gardening club Vye, since you waited for me." Lara told Violette, pocketing the note.  
"You didn't think to ask Nathaniel why he wanted you to give the note to Castiel instead of himself?" Violette asked.  
"Ah, remember dear Violette, I am a journalist. I've been at the school for two weeks and if there's one thing I'm sure of, it's that our esteemed Student Body President and the resident red-headed rebel completely loathe each other." Lara told her.  
Violette's eyes widened. "You managed to figure it out?" She asked.  
"It wasn't that hard Vye. I happened to be with Castiel when Nathaniel passed by us in the hallway. The glares they gave each other could freeze hell over. Plus, Castiel has mentioned that he can't stand our, and I quote, 'snobby and stuck-up pres'." Lara explained.  
Violette nodded. "They've been on bad terms for a while now." She told Lara.  
"Know the reason?" Lara asked, curious.  
Violette seemed to hesitate before shaking her head. "No, sorry." She mumbled.  
Lara flashed a girl a knowing smile. "That's okay." She replied. Violette looked at her apologetically. They reached the gardening club and Lara waved goodbye, informing Jade, a student from another school who was in charge of club activities, that she'd be right back.

As Lara walked off, she began to think that Violette may have lied to her about denying the reason Castiel and Nathaniel disliked each other. Lara shoved the thought away for another time. She'd ask Castiel about it later.

Speaking of whom, Castiel was making his way through the courtyard towards a bench. Lara ran up to catch up to him.  
"Heya Cas! Wait up!" She called.  
Castiel turned to face her, scrunching up his face. "_Castiel_, new girl." He corrected.  
Lara smiled. "Aww, come on Cas, we're friends! Friends have nicknames for each other! Well, don't know how you can find a nickname for Lara, it's already pretty short. Lar, maybe? Oh, or just 'L'! That's cool! L, the reporter! Call me L." She spoke.  
"Slow down! Did you even take a breath when you were talking just now!?" Castiel explained, shaking his head.

Lara laughed, reaching for the note in her pocket. "Okay, okay, I'm calm. Anyway, I've got a note here from Nathaniel that he wants you to sign. I guess he's pretty busy to give it to you himself so he asked me to do it for him." She told him.  
Castiel crossed his arms. "Heh. So our snobby pres is too afraid to face me. Well you can take that paper back, 'cause I'm not signing it." He replied.  
Lara mirrored Castiel's pose, crossing her arms. "Aw, come on Cas. It's just an absentee note. One quick signature and all will be well in the world." She said happily.  
"Uh, _no,_ all will not be 'well in the world'. It's not like this is the last time I'm going to skip. I'm skipping right now. He's going to have to face me at some point and if he really was a man, he wouldn't be sending little girls like you to do his work for him." Castiel replied harshly.  
Lara sighed, ignoring the 'little girl' comment. Sometimes, Castiel could be really difficult, even with the people he seemed to… well, not _like_… _tolerate._

"Alright, alright, I get it. I'll tell Nathaniel that you won't sign the note." She waved and turned around, rushing back towards the student council room, where Nathaniel was sitting at one of the desks, reading. He smiled up at Lara when she walked in.  
"So, did he sign it?" Nathaniel asked.  
"Unfortunately, he refused. Said he wanted you to face him rather than send people." Lara scrunched her nose and held out the note for Nathaniel to take.  
"If it's not too much trouble, could you try one more time? I'd really rather avoid confrontation with him."  
Lara sighed again. "Okay. One more time." She said.  
"Thanks Lara." Nathaniel said with relief.  
"You owe me two now!" She called as she left the room, hurrying back to Castiel…

…Who immediately shook his head when he saw Lara coming, waving the note around.  
"I said, I wasn't going to sign the damn thing!" He told her, his hand balling into a fist.  
"Don't take it out on me! I'm just a humble messenger! A conveyer of words! A delivery girl!" Lara stuck her arms out in front of her, a nervous smile on her face as she babbled.  
"Whatever you are, you can go back and tell him for the last time, I won't sign it. That bastard just wants to see me expelled." Castiel said with annoyance.  
"Hey, you can't get expelled! You've got the keys to the balcony! How else will I be able to get up there?" Lara said jokingly.

She also was being serious, however, about the whole 'not wanting Castiel to be expelled' thing. He had become a friend to her and she was sure that after spending more time with him she'd discover many good things about him and a nice personality and –

"Nice to know that's the redeeming quality you have of me!".

Argh, who was Lara kidding, this guy was a total stubborn jackass.

"It's the only quality I'm seeing so far, buddy." She countered coldly.  
"_What!?_"  
"You heard me!"

The two glared at each other for a while before Lara finally sighed.  
"I'm sorry Cas. Didn't mean to snap at you. I'll give the note back to Nathaniel." She said.  
Castiel's features softened and he was silent for a while.  
"…Thanks." He said.  
"You're welcome." Lara said helplessly, walking away. Lara wasn't the type of person who let what people did or said bother her and her temper was very mild, but all this running back and forth like some pack mule (when all she wanted to do was spend some time with that hunk of a boy Jade at the gardening club and end her Friday on a high note), was starting to get on her nerves. She couldn't help but snap once in a while. As she walked back into the building, she mumbled the letters of the alphabet under her breath. As a child, her parents would make her do it whenever Lara felt angry or too hyped up. And it worked; reciting the alphabet, where everything was in order and made sense, calmed Lara down.

And Lara would need the calming because on the way, she was stopped by a mumbling and fumbling Kentin.

_Great._

"H-hey Lara!" He greeted loudly, arms wide for a hug.  
Lara flashed a fake smile, her eye twitching. "Sorry Kentin, I'm in a hurry." She told him quickly, stepping to the side to pass him.  
Little bastard blocked her path and he started flailing his arms about. "Ken, Lara! Just call me Ken! And the gardening club is the other way!" He told her.  
"Look, Kentin, I'm running an errand for Nathaniel. I'll be at the gardening club later." She replied irritably, stepping to the other side and walking away.  
"O-oh. In that case, I'll see you soon?" Kentin called.  
Once again, Lara resorted to reciting the letters of the alphabet under her breath as she opened the door to the Student Council Room.

"Any luck?" Nathaniel asked.  
Lara shook her head and Nathaniel's face fell. "I'm sorry, but there's nothing else I can do. It's not like I can force him to sign it either." Lara told him.  
Nathaniel put a hand to his temple and sighed. "So you were no help after all. Thanks for nothing. Just give me the note and I'll do it." He told her.  
Lara's eyes widened. _No help? Thanks for nothing?_ She looked at Nathaniel in shock. _How dare he!_ Sending her like that, making her do his work, only to brush her off afterward!

Nathaniel expectantly waited for her to hand over the note, a look of annoyance on his face. Lara narrowed her eyes. She lifted the note in front of her and quickly ripped it in half.

"H-hey!" Nathaniel spluttered, watching Lara continue to tear the paper before letting the pieces flutter to the ground.  
"I'll be expecting an apology later, when I've calmed down enough to speak to you." Lara said icily, narrowing her eyes. She could be really scary when she did that, Nathaniel found, faltering under her gaze as she walked backwards to the door and slammed it shut behind her.

Castiel was sitting on the bench in the courtyard waiting for Lara to come back to him. He glanced around to make sure there weren't any teachers in sight and produced a cigarette packet from his jacket, taking one out and lighting it up, thinking while he waited. He didn't want to sign the note for two reasons:

One, he loathed Nathaniel. The idiot president and the red-head couldn't stand each other's presence and would take up any opportunity to annoy the other. For Castiel, if that meant annoying and frustrating the pres by refusing to sign the stupid absentee note, then he wouldn't sign it. Simple as that.

Two, although he wouldn't admit it out loud, he wanted to see Lara. The bubbly ginger-haired girl could be scarily crazy sometimes but Castiel liked her company and found himself _wanting_ to see her when he went to school. It was sometimes the only reason he attended his stupid English class – she made it interesting and fun and she included him in group work, when others would usually ignore him because of how difficult he could be to work with.

But you know. He'd never actually _tell_ anyone. No way. Not even his best friend Lysander.

And he most certainly did _not_ smile when he saw the girl walking out of the building with, joy of joys, no note in her hand (a smile which left his face as soon as it appeared; he had an image to keep up). Nathaniel must've given up. _Good._ Castiel thought. He expected Lara to walk up to him but instead he was greeted with an icy glare. Castiel frowned, watching her walk off to the gardening club angrily. What the hell that idiot president do to make her so mad?

Castiel sighed angrily. _Damn it._ Looks like he was going to have to face Nathaniel after all.


	5. Chapter 4: Blame it on my ADD, baby

**Disclaimer: Not the owner of My Candy Love. The title of this chapter is a lyric from SAIL by Awolnation, so I also don't own that. Just a huge fan of both. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 4: Blame it on my A.D.D, baby.  
**By the end of the day, Lara had calmed down immensely from her anger trip. Jade, a nice boy with light green hair from a neighbouring school who came to Sweet Amoris every Friday for the gardening club was really nice and, when he noticed that Lara was bothered by something, worked with her and tried to make her laugh. She appreciated the gesture and found herself liking the gardening club, although she still wished she could change to the writing or photography club (she was keeping an eye out in case someone left or wanted to switch).

When it was over and the final school bell rang, Lara swung her bag over her shoulder and walked towards the bike rack. She was stopped by a red-faced and worried Rosalya. "Hey Rosa, what's up? Are you okay?" Lara asked with concern.  
Rosalya grabbed Lara's arm and started dragging the girl back to the school. "Castiel and Nathaniel." She replied hurriedly, not giving an explanation.  
Lara groaned. "Rooooosaaaaa, I've had enough of them today!" She whined, easily wriggling out of Rosalya's grip.  
"Listen, you need to stop them." Rosalya ordered, turning to look Lara straight in the eye.  
Lara raised her eyebrows. "Stop them from doing what?"  
"Fighting! They're going to murder each other!"  
"_What!?_"

Rosalya took Lara's hand again and started to lead her back to the school. They broke into a jog to reach the main building.  
"Lysander still isn't back from his holiday and he's the only one who can break them up!" Rosalya explained.  
"Then why do you need _me!?_" Lara asked in shock.  
"Cause you're the only other person I know who Castiel actually listens to!"

The two girls opened the door to the school, the main corridor where the student council room was. They were met with the backs and heads of students who had circled around Castiel and Nathaniel. Some of the students were trying to stop the two, walking into the fray to pull them apart but they were unsuccessful, shortly being pushed back into the growing and loud crowd. Lara was surprised that a teacher hadn't heard the hullaballoo and come to investigate.

Lara took a deep breath and ploughed through the students, pushing them out of the way to get to the middle of the circle while Rosalya watched on with worry. The crowd was rowdy and Lara felt herself being whisked around as she tried to get to the middle, where Castiel had Nathaniel pinned against the lockers. One of his fists was raised to hit him. There was already a small cut on Nathaniel's lip and Castiel had a bruise forming on his cheek. Nathaniel had his hand on the collar of Castiel's shirt and was dragging him downward in an attempt to pull him off and tackle him to the ground. Lara growled under her breath and gritted her teeth. Those damn boys were so _troublesome!_ With a final push, she stumbled passed the students and ran in between the boys, arms held up in front of her an attempt to ward off any other hits.

"Hey!" Lara yelled, staring in the eyes of Castiel. His fist tightened but froze in its suspended place.  
"What are you doing here, new girl!? Mind your own damn business!" Castiel yelled back.  
"Move, Lara, this doesn't concern you!" Nathaniel told her.  
Lara shook her head furiously. "You're both _idiots! _Stop acting so damn immature!" She yelled, turning to Castiel. "Come on, Cas. All you're going to get out of this is more trouble! Stop!" She pleaded.

The crowd was silent as they watched on. Lara and Castiel stared at each other for a while before the red head slowly lowered his hand. Lara turned back to glare at Nathaniel, her eyes narrowed. The look on blonde's face was pure ice, and he still looked like he was ready to commence their fight as soon as Lara moved aside [Castiel _still_ looked like he was still going to rip Nathaniel's throat out despite his fists being firmly by his sides, Lara noted.]  
"You're the student body president. I'm sure _you_ can't afford being in trouble too." Lara said firmly, but softly, so that only the two boys could hear her.

Nathaniel seemed taken aback but then sighed. He was the first to move, starting by adjusting his shirt which had unbuttoned in the course of the fight. He and Castiel glared at each other for a while in the silence until, without a word, Nathaniel turned to the side to leave. The crowd parted for him, some of the students avoiding eye-contact as Nathaniel walked off towards the student council room and slammed the door shut behind him. Melody, who was in the crowd, followed him to make sure he was okay.

Lara sighed irritably, placing a hand on her forehead. "Your temper is just as red as your hair. What is wrong with you? Just because you don't like him doesn't mean you have to – hey!" Lara was cut off when Castiel grabbed her arm and started pulling her away. Some of the students mumbled in confusion and began to disperse, watching on as Castiel led a stunned Lara towards the staircase.

Rosalya made a move to follow the two but Iris, who had been in the crowd, stopped her.  
"Cas is probably fuming. I really doubt you want to be in his company right now." She advised her.  
A worried look crossed Rosalya's face. "I don't want to leave Lara with him…"  
"But what can we do? Try talking to him? You know when he's all pissy he won't listen to anyone, except maybe Lys who isn't here at the moment." Iris reminded Rosalya. The two girls had known Castiel for a long time and while on good terms with the boy, they still didn't have the guts to face him when he was angry. Rosalya turned to Iris.  
"You're right. I'll just text Lara later to make sure she's okay." She sighed.  
Iris nodded. "That sounds like a good idea." She replied.

* * *

"Are you _kidnapping_ me Castiel!?" Lara asked in both a shocked and amused tone. The boy still hadn't said anything as he dragged her away and Lara was wondering what was going through his mind right now. Castiel was still angry – Lara could hear him mumbling under his breath and his breathing was ragged as he walked briskly through the corridor. He obviously just wanted to get the hell away from where he and Nathaniel had been. Lara let him lead her though the familiar hallways of the school to the out-of-bounds area he had showed her upon their first meeting. They reached the door to the balcony and finally, Castiel released Lara's hand. He hadn't realised how hard he had been gripping it and the girl cradled it, frowning as she curled her fingers to get rid of the pins-and-needles. Castiel reached to the pocket of his jacket to get the key.

"Fucking Nathaniel." He said angrily. Castiel's hands were shaking as he tried to fit the key inside the lock. He missed again and again, which didn't do wonders for his temper. He ended up turning to Lara and waving a shaky finger at her. "If you didn't get involved I would've got him good!" He shouted.

Lara raised an eyebrow and sighed. "If I didn't get involved then you would've gotten in so much trouble. If you wanted to prevent being expelled, then fighting the student body present isn't exactly the best way to prevent that from happening. You're lucky I jumped in when I did." She said thoughtfully.

Castiel's grey eyes widened.

Well. Lara was right.

Castiel found himself feeling a right bunch of stupid as he thought over his actions. Damn. He really lost it back there and he definitely wasn't thinking clearly. Curse his temper; he'd be lucky to get out of this scuffle with just a suspension.

Lara reached for him and Castiel felt soft hands on his own. She frowned.

"Damn Cas, are you still shaking? Just try to stay calm." She said softly. She unfurled the fingers of his hands to get the key for the balcony door, easily sliding it in the eyehole and opening it. They both walked through and Lara closed the door behind them.

Castiel sat on the ground of the balcony, reaching for the cigarette packet he had. He knew it was a terrible habit and that if his parents were to find out they would have his head, but it was one of the only things that could calm him down at the moment – the other was strumming tunes on his guitar and since that wasn't in his reach at the moment, the cigarette's would have to do.

Lara sat down silently next to him. Castiel offered her a smoke, which she declined. Her mind was racing; she had so many questions to ask Castiel about what had happened to make him and Nathaniel fight. She wanted to know when they started disliking each other and for what reason. But she knew when she was crossing the line. Right now, Castiel didn't need to have his temper soaring again. He needed to relax. _And probably have a good laugh,_ Lara thought.

"Hey Cas?" Lara spoke up, breaking their silence.  
The boy blew a puff of smoke, which slowly dispersed into the air. "What is it?" He asked irritably.  
Lara shrugged. "If it helps, I think you were winning the fight."

A slow rumble of laughter erupted from Castiel. He leaned against the door of the balcony, running a hand through his hair while the other rested on his knee holding his cigarette. All the tension from the last few minutes left his body with every exhale of breath. Lara grinned at him, happy that she had been able to help. She watched him laugh and decided that smiling suiting him a lot, although it was an odd expression for him, as she was used to seeing him smirking or scowling.

When Castiel's laughter died down, he lightly bopped Lara on the head.  
"What was that for!?" Lara asked in amused shock.  
"You're crazy, new girl." Castiel replied, shaking his head before taking another drag from his cigarette.  
Lara threw Castiel a goofy grin. "_Blame it on my A.D.D, baby._" She sang.

_Lara finally got Castiel calmed down and away from Nathaniel. They talked some before they went home ~ date dialogue, MCL, episode 2._

Although Lara didn't get to ask Castiel anything about his feud with Nathaniel, she found herself finding more about the boy personally during their talk on the balcony. Lara (shockingly) found out that getting to know someone didn't necessarily mean bombarding them with questions and taking note of their answers. It was a casual conversation. Lara asked about his parents, he told her that their work required them to be out of the country for long periods of time. Castiel told her he loved music and enjoyed playing the guitar and Lara commented on how cool it was and how she wished she could play an instrument. She teased him about his temper matching his bright red hair and he scoffed that she was too nosey for her own good.

When they decided to leave the sun had started to set. Lara jokingly (well, half-jokingly; she _was_ curious, after all) warned Castiel that when she saw him next she'd have a bunch of questions to ask him about his issues with the student body president.

"Pfft, like I'll tell you anything." Castiel said, crossing his arms as he walked side-by-side with the girl towards the car park.  
"Aww, come on." Lara whined.  
"If you're going to be a journalist, you're going to have to find out on your own." Castiel said firmly, although he was smirking.  
"Every good journalist needs a reliable source." Lara countered.  
"Then find a new source." Castiel said.  
"Then why don't you be my sidekick instead of my source?" Lara asked.  
"Hell no!" Castiel exclaimed and Lara laughed.  
"Fine! But I'm still going to get you talking!"  
"I'd like to see you try, new girl."

They reached the bike rack. Lara examined Castiel's shiny motorbike. "It's really nice." She said, pointing at it. Castiel thanked her. "Can I try it?" Castiel bopped her on the head and glared. Lara laughed and hopped on her own bike instead, reaching for the helmet in her backpack.  
"I guess I'll see you Monday, Castiel." Lara said happily.  
"See you then, new girl." Castiel replied.

Lara waved goodbye and pedalled off. Castiel watched her disappear down the road. He sighed.

"…Thank you, Lara Reed."

* * *

**A/N: Thanks to PandaPuppet, owldistraction and BadGrasshopper for reviewing! Also, thanks to owldistraction for pointing out an error I made with the colour of Nathaniel's eyes in the first chapter. I've fixed that up and also gave him and Castiel last names; Nathaniel Gold (*very* original -.-) and Castiel Fairman.**


	6. Chapter 5: Closer

**Chapter 5: Closer  
**It had been two months since Lara had settled properly into Sweet Amoris. She decided it was finally time to start her research on the down. Her fellow students had given Lara weird looks whenever the journalist-in-training spoke of her personal projects, of nonsense things like writing articles and columns for _fun_ and the girl had been asked many times as to why she would "waste her time that way when she could be concentrating on schoolwork". Lara would just laugh and shrug, giving some excuse so that she would be left alone to do her digging.

Lara finally met the Lysander everyone had been mentioning, who had returned from his late holiday. He was quite attractive, tall with silver hair. He stood out because of the Victorian style clothes he wore and his different coloured eyes; one green and one gold. Lara was taken aback at how polite and how much of gentleman he was. He and Lara had instantly clicked due to their shared love of writing, which Lara discovered after bombarding the boy with questions on their first meeting. While Lara wrote articles and journalistic pieces, Lysander jotted down lyrics and poems. She asked if he would be up for an interview for her article and he said he'd be delighted to participate. Lara also commented on how surprising she found it that someone as mellow and calm as Lysander was best friends with such a crazy hot-head (to which she was knocked on the head by said hot-head who angrily shouted that if anyone was crazy around here it was her).

Shaking her head with a smile on her face, Lara decided to make her way up to the library and thoroughly inspect books on the sweet sounding town to see what she could find. It was the end of the school day at 3pm and Lara hummed as she walked up to the second floor where the library was, anticipation for what she would find giving her a spring to her step. She opened the double doors to the library and was met with a refreshing cool breeze from the air-con, a nice relief from the heat of the February sun.

The library was empty at this time of day making it appear larger than it already was. At lunchtimes, there were many students either crowding around shelves, occupying desks to study at or just sitting in front of the air-con to take refuge from the sun, being as quiet as possible so the librarian wouldn't kick them out. To the left of the entrance were two rows of computers where students would come to finish up assignments or do research for class. There were a few chairs and desks meant for studying or reading directly in front of Lara that stretched lengthwise towards the wall opposite the entrance. Lara walked to the right side of the library where all the books were shelved, separated in their respective genres, alphabetically by the author's last name.

_Fiction, non-fiction, science, fantasy, dictionaries… yearbooks. I'll start there._ Lara walked towards the 'Yearbooks' shelf, which was the final shelf on the right, and scanned the books that had been neatly placed upright. Some of them were old but in incredibly good condition. Curious, Lara picked out the oldest volume she could find, 1944. She carefully turned through the yellowed pages, admiring the neat and cursive handwriting by teachers and previous students and the terrible quality black-and-white photographs. Lara flicked through the short volume and when she was done, placed it back on the shelf and picked up the next one.

Lara lost track of time as she lost herself in time, reading the stories previous students had written and the words of advice they passed down for the future generations. From the looks of the volumes, Sweet Amoris started out as an all-boys school before it became co-ed after the Second World War. Lara was so absorbed in her reading that she forgot to write notes of her own at all and also failed to notice a familiar red-head watching her.

Said red-head was peeking from behind one of the shelves watching the girl read. Castiel thought that Lara would've at least _sensed_ his presence since the girl was so observant. He tried glaring at the back of her head hoping that she would feel his gaze and turn around. But Lara continued reading her books, the smile on her face so wide that Castiel was wondering if her cheeks were aching. What was she even reading? Glancing at the 'Yearbooks' sign on the shelf, Castiel frowned. Was there a history assignment he hadn't known about because he skipped the classes? Castiel grumbled under his breath at the thought and he contemplated on just walking away and continuing on with his life.

But he didn't. He wanted to talk to Lara. Lysander had gone home early and Castiel would've been home by now, but his dog was at the vet. He was planning on picking the pooch up on his way home at the scheduled time of four-thirty pm. That way, he wouldn't have to make two trips into town and he could walk straight home from school (he didn't bring his bike today; he was planning on walking with his dog instead). Castiel's boredom led him to the library, where it was nice and cool.

He didn't expect seeing Lara there and as much as Castiel wanted to make his presence known to her, he was too stubborn to make any indication that he was there at all (and was, he thought, definitely _not _enjoying just watching Lara read… Reed… read. _Whatever. Same difference._)

Castiel saw the librarian walking towards Lara, who didn't even notice the light footsteps coming her way, still happily reading the yearbooks.

"Enjoying those?" The librarian, Mrs Larner, asked Lara with a smile. She was an older woman with blonde hair that was greying and dull grey eyes.  
Lara finally looked up through her glasses from her spot on the ground. She returned the librarian's smile. "Yeah, they're great." She replied.  
"It's good to see students still interested in history in the school's history. Only a few others have come to see the yearbooks but they haven't sat down to read every single one." Mrs Larner replied.  
"I can't imagine why. This stuff is so interesting."  
"What is your name, dear?"  
"Lara Reed."  
"Well Lara, as much as I'd love to discuss the yearbooks with you, I'm afraid I have to close the library up. It's 4pm. We usually lock up later, but since one of the cleaners isn't feeling well we're going to have to close up early."  
"4pm already?" Lara exclaimed.  
"Yes dear." Mrs Larner replied with a small chuckle.  
"Okay, let me put this away. Thank you."

The librarian nodded and walked off and Lara looked back at the book in her hands. She scanned the page quickly before closing it shut and placing it on the shelf. She stretched her arms and rolled her neck and shoulders before standing and picking up her bag.

Lara wasn't the only person who was shocked at the time. Castiel realised that if it was 4pm and he had seen Lara reading at around 3, when he had come to library out of boredom, that means he had been staring and waiting for the girl to notice him for…

An hour.

_A whole fucking hour._

How did he get caught up staring at someone for so long? Someone he didn't even know properly?

"Hey, Castiel? Is that you?" Lara asked with curiosity, finally noticing him.  
Castiel grumbled under his breath and crossed his arms, wondering what Lara would think if he started banging his head on the wall next to him out of sheer embarrassment.  
Lara walked up to him and smiled. "Of course it's you! I only know one angry-red-haired-boy-that-owns-the-bike-rack." She joked.  
When Castiel didn't react Lara tilted her head to the side. "What's wrong?" She asked, her blue eyes large.

Castiel glared at her_. What's wrong is that you made me feel like an idiot, staring at you for a freaking hour, _he wanted to say.

"Nothing." He said, glancing to the side.  
Lara smiled. "I didn't see your bike today so didn't know if you were at school. Come on, let's walk down together." She said.  
Castiel walked next to Lara who waved to the librarian on their way out. He asked Lara why she had been reading the yearbooks.  
"You see, when I chose a place to move to for my final year at high school, it wasn't only because I wanted a fresh start or to leave my simple town. I chose one which also appealed to my… 'highly inquisitive nature', as my mum would put it." She explained.  
"What does this town even have that will make you so eager to research it?" Castiel asked.  
"Every place in the world has a story to tell. I simply want to write about those places and share them with others. Sweet Amoris is my starting point." Lara replied.  
"Then why don't you just look it up on the Internet and save yourself the trouble?" Castiel asked.  
"That's the lazy way out Castiel!" Lara was bopped on the head and chuckled before continuing.

"The Internet can only give you so much. You can read about the stats of a town or current events or how the weather was twenty years ago. But that's not what I want. I want to go deeper. I want to visit the historical structures that have been here when the town was first built, or places that have been here for years, like the school and the Public Library and the Town Hall. I want to read about the people who lived here and those who made the town what it is today. And I just… just want to find out why I feel this way about Sweet Amoris. No place else in the world has ever appealed to me this badly, not even the amazing countries that I want to visit in the future. Besides, if I want to call myself a journalist, I'll have to physically go to the places I want to write about. So why not start here, in Sweet Amoris? Does that make sense?"

Castiel raised an eyebrow. That wasn't what he was expecting. Lara chuckled and placed a hand on the back of her head. "You know what? I've never actually said that out loud or admitted it to anyone. It's all been in here." Lara pointed to her heart.  
Castiel shook his head. "You're crazy." He scoffed.  
Lara laughed. "So I've been told. Hey, were you born here? In Sweet Amoris?"  
Castiel nodded and Lara's eyes widened with excitement.  
"Great! Then I'll be interviewing you!" She told him.  
"What?"  
"I'll be interviewing you for my article on Sweet Amoris! As soon as I've got the basic information done, of course." Lara repeated happily.  
Castiel frowned. "You can't just go around making decisions for people."  
Lara smiled. "Believe me, by the time I finish my article you'll be begging for me to interview you." She assured him.  
"Don't assume anything, little girl!"  
"I'm not assuming, I just _know_. There's a difference, Castiel." Lara replied cheekily, winking.

Castiel shook his head, a small smile creeping on his face. He was surprised at himself for being interested rather than annoyed at the girl. If anyone else had spoken to him like that, he'd probably snap at them, expect for Lysander and a select few. Evidently, one of those select few was this new and crazy girl who literally appeared in his life out of nowhere.

They reached the car park and Lara unchained her bike from the rack. "Will you be walking home Castiel?" She asked, noticing that he hadn't, in fact, ridden his motorbike to school.  
"Yeah. I'm picking up my dog from the vet on the way." He said, checking his watch. It was almost four-thirty.  
Lara's eyes widened. "You have a dog!?" She exclaimed.  
Castiel nodded and smiled proudly. "Yep. His name is Demon."  
Lara laughed. "Of course, that sounds like something you would name your dog. Something tough and scary. Well, what are we waiting for? Lead the way." She said, wheeling her bike beside her.  
Castiel frowned. "Who said you were coming along, crazy girl?" He asked, watching her walk off in front of him. He had dropped the 'new girl' nickname he usually called her for something more appropriate now that he'd gotten to know her better.  
Lara turned and smiled, unfazed by the nickname. If anything, she liked it better than 'new girl'. She was happy to have made an impression. "I want to see your dog, so I'm going with you to the vet." She replied happily.  
"I don't want your company."  
"Tough!" Lara stuck out her tongue at Castiel and yelped as she dodged another bop on the head from the red-haired assailant. "_Not today, Zurg_." She said in a deep voice, chuckling at the joke.  
Castiel sighed and shook his head, knowing that she wasn't going to leave.

But he found himself not minding it as much as he thought it would.

"You're such a child. Alright, fine, follow me." He surrendered, shoving his hands in his jacket pockets, walking in front of Lara who happily skipped to catch up to him, wheeling her bike with her.

The veterinarian's clinic was a ten minute walk away from the school and opposite a large park that stretched wide and far. Lara dropped her bike on the grass in the park and plopped herself onto a bench, waiting for Castiel to retrieve Demon, who she was excited about seeing. She stared up at the sky, contemplating the things she read in the yearbooks, finding herself anxious to write in her journal and tell everyone at school. Lara took a few deeps breaths before reciting the alphabet, feeling the need to calm her fast beating heart. Her medications various side effects, such as the jitteriness she was experiencing now, were lessened if she tried to sit still and relax.

The door the vet's clinic opened and Castiel walked out, a large black and brown dog on a red leash following him out. Lara's eyes widened with excitement at the animal, which had its tongue out and was panting happily. Lara stood from the bench as Castiel and the dog drew closer.  
"Aw! What a cutie!" She said, falling on her knees to pet Demon.  
"Hey be careful, he doesn't take well to… strangers…" Castiel's warning was cut off as he noticed his dog happily barking as Lara pet him. Demon fell to floor, his hind leg twitching at pleasantness of the laughing Lara's touch.

Odd. Demon rarely let people touch him. He was weary when seeing new people; just this morning he had growled at the vet's assistant when she tried to lead him into the vet's room.

But here the pooch was, extremely comfortable with the new face.

Well.

Even Castiel's dog liked Lara.

For some reason that made Castiel happy.

"I thought you were a dog person Cas. Although I didn't rule out the possibility that you had an army of cute, fluffy kittens invading your home." Lara joked, scratching Demon behind the ears. The dog closed his eyes and his tongue flopped out of his mouth.  
Castiel made a face. "Cats are the pets of the devil." He said harshly.  
Lara laughed. "Such an extreme accusation!" She commented, reaching for her camera. She held it up in front of the dog and turned the flash off, snapping a few photos of its happy face. She stood up and smiled at Castiel. "Come here Cas!" She said excitedly, holding up the camera.  
Castiel jumped back and waved a fist. "Oh hell no crazy girl, no photos of me!"  
"Aw come on!" Lara started walking up to him and Castiel swore and ran off. Lara chased him although she was much slower and couldn't catch up. Demon barked happily and also ran, delighted at the 'game' the three were playing, his leash trailing behind him.

In the end, Lara sunk to the floor in defeat, Demon bouncing around her while Castiel returned, crossing his arms. "Give up?" He asked with a smirk. Lara stuck her tongue out at him angrily and Castiel laughed. "I tell you what. I'll let you take a photo with me if you're in the photo too." He said.  
Lara thought about it for a while and then smiled, jumping back up. "Sure!" She said happily. Castiel shook his head and Lara walked to his side, holding the camera with one hand in the air to face them  
"Smile Cas!"  
She snapped the photo of the two of them, Demon in the background.  
"Satisfied?" Castiel asked and Lara nodded happily, turning her camera off. "You're a goof, crazy girl."  
Lara laughed and bent down to pet Demon again. "I'm not the only goof. If anyone's crazy here, it's your dog. He's super friendly!" She commented. "Oh, whoa there boy!" Demon had suddenly jumped up and started barking, picking up the leash in his mouth and bringing it to Castiel. "Your dog is ready to run off. How about we give him our attention?" Lara suggested, standing.  
Castiel nodded and Lara asked him to wait up so she could run back and pick up her bicycle. When she returned, Castiel took the leash from Demon and held onto it tightly as the dog bounded off.

They walked and talked and laughed and teased each other while Demon barked happily. Castiel had let Lara hold the leash with him before she asked if she could hold onto it herself. "Sure. Just be careful. He likes you but he can be pretty unpredictable if someone he doesn't know tries to lead him." Castiel replied, handing over the leash.

_Castiel's dog was a huge Beauce Shepherd! Lara wanted to take the leash all by herself, but Demon pulled so hard that she fell and skinned her knee… Castiel helped her up, he looked a bit worried. He took the leash and they continued the rest of the walk without any problems - date dialogue, MCL, episode 3._

* * *

"How's your knee?" Castiel asked. The two had ended their walk and were standing outside Lara's apartment building. The sun was almost setting; they had been walking for a long time.

The girl smiled. "It's fine! Doesn't hurt at all." She assured him, looking down at the scrape which had a Band-Aid placed on it, given to her by a passer-by who happened to have a First-Aid kit. A far-off look crossed Lara's face. "It reminds me of the time I jumped the fence to escape that terrible dog who was chasing after me. I tripped over the fence and landed right on my knees. But it was worth it." She recalled, being purposely dramatic.  
Castiel bopped her on the head, smirking. "Your nose will grow if you keep spreading lies Pinocchio." He told her, rolling his eyes.  
Lara winked. "How do you know it's a lie?" She asked.  
A bark had Lara bending down to pet Demon farewell. "He's such a good dog. Thanks for walking me home." She said up to Castiel.  
"I had no damn choice, you're the one who wanted to come along." He mumbled, although he was happy the girl had pushed herself to come. He had had a lot of fun, although he was tired. Chasing after a dog and a hyperactive girl really did take the life out of him.

Lara stood and, out of the blue, wrapped her arms around Castiel. The boy stood, slightly shocked at the warm contact. She hugged him tightly for a short while and then let go.  
"See you at school Cas!" Lara said happily, a smile on her face.  
If she noticed Castiel's light blush she didn't say anything.  
Instead, she turned to open the door of the building before wheeling her bike in and walking towards the stairs.

Castiel stood on the spot, stunned as the door automatically closed behind Lara. Demon barked at his feet and began to walk off. Castiel held tightly to the leash and he let the dog lead him away. _What is wrong with that girl?_ Castiel thought to himself, glancing back to the building. It had been a while since he had met someone so casual and comfortable around him and not be intimated or put off by his attitude.

It was… _nice_, he thought.

But that didn't stop him from feeling pissed at himself for standing there like an idiot when she hugged him. Castiel grinned, pulling on Demon's leash to lead him home. _That crazy girl…_

_Why do I enjoy her company so much?_


	7. Chapter 6: Curious case of Sweet Amoris

**A/N: I know there's a lot of dialogue in this chapter however it's all very important as it ****_finally_**** introduces the plot, haha.  
Title used was inspired by 'The curious case of Benjamin Button', which I don't own. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 6: The curious case of Sweet Amoris  
**"Okay, children, gather around so you can hear the story." Lara said jokingly, watching the students in her year either roll their eyes or laugh as they edged closer to her. She had told Rosalya some of the things she had discovered in the yearbooks, who had then proceeded to tell Iris, who let Kentin know, who told Violette, who told Peggy and soon, the story spread. The students, now interested in the history of the school (mainly because of the fact they didn't have to _read_ any of the books as Lara already had and she, out of all people, would be glad to recount what she discovered), had gathered around ginger-haired girl after school. They were all sitting in the courtyard, some on benches and some on the ground. Lara was sitting on a bench with her book of notes in hand. She had managed to read every single yearbook after a few more trips to the library and had found out a lot of interesting information that she couldn't wait to share with her fellow classmates.

"Stop beating around the bush! What were you saying about a beauty contest in 1991?" Amber asked angrily, receiving nods from Charlotte, Li and Capucine.

"1994, actually. The school was celebrating their 50th anniversary. The students decided to split into two teams, girls verses boys, to see who would make the most money from rides and stalls and the like. All the funds would go into improving the school, like buying new equipment for classrooms and the gym. The girls decided to hold a beauty pageant and sold tickets for anyone who wanted to watch and vote for who they thought was 'Miss Sweet Amoris'. They also did make-overs and hairdos and beat the boys by a landslide." Lara explained.

"Wow. I didn't even know this school was over 50 years old, let alone that so much had happened." Kim exclaimed.

While students nodded at Kim's words, Peggy mumbled angrily to herself, cursing that she wasn't the first one to think of reading the yearbooks first. She felt like her credibility as a reporter had depleted since Lara arrived in the school. Peggy scowled. _She_ could've been the one with the inside scoop of the history of the school, the one everyone was looking at, wide-eyed and in awe. _Who does that girl think she is?_ Peggy thought, eyeing a smiling Lara.

"When did they get rid of school uniforms?" Violette asked suddenly.  
"That was in 1996, two years after the beauty contest. After the pageant, the male students kept talking about how good the girls looked when they dressed themselves and thought that having a uniform was too tacky and tried to convince the teacher's that having a uniform restricted their creativity. They were constantly bugging the teachers about, who finally caved after they put some restrictions on what kind of clothes were worn. Now, those restrictions are mainly gone." Lara said.

At this Melody cast a wary eye towards Kim, whose attire consisted of short-shorts and a cropped singlet top, which left little to the imagination. She wondered if she could start a petition to enforce school uniforms again.

"How exactly did you know this from reading the yearbook?" Nathaniel asked [he and Lara had made up a long time ago since the incident with Castiel's absentee note. He had apologised for what he had said and how he had treated her and she forgave him with a large smile on her face, determined to put it behind her and continue to be friends with Nathaniel].

Lara grinned and flipped through the pages in her notebook. "Confession Corner! Started in 1975, students decided to anonymously put through confessions that would appear in the yearbook. There are a lot of statements from students saying that they preferred not having to wear a uniform. Some of the confessions are just random and are pretty funny. In 1987 there was one where someone confessed to sneaking into the girls' bathroom. This lead to a school-wide search for the pervert who later admitted that it was a joke. Needless to say, the girls weren't very pleased and this lead to a great prank where they put itching powder in the boys' gym uniforms. Then the teachers found out and threatened to stop yearbook publication altogether, so everyone had to kiss and make up." Lara explained, reading what she had written. Then she grinned cheekily. "Not literally, of course." She joked, the students giggling.

Iris laughed. "I wonder what else they've written about." She said.  
Kim nodded in excitement. "Me too. I really want to check some of the yearbooks out now.  
"Do we currently have a yearbook committee?" Lysander asked.

Lara shook her head. "In 2000 students failed to come up with a yearbook committee and so failed to produce a yearbook of any kind. Instead of all the fun photos and written documents from students a yearbook would usually have, the staff just put the ID photos of each student with their name next to it. There's a list of major achievers at the back but that's it. It's pretty short in comparison with the older ones. Such a shame." She lamented.

"Why don't we _make _one then? A yearbook committee? It sounds like a lot of fun," Rosalya spoke up, looking at Lara. "You said that the school started in 1944. It's 2014 now, which means it's the school's 70th anniversary. It would be good to bring it back."

Excited chatter was heard amongst the students, many of them agreeing with Rosalya.  
"That sounds like too much work." Li made sure she was heard over the mumbling students, making a face to show her distaste.  
"It sounds like fun!" Iris and Lara added, getting a few of the students nodding in agreement.  
All eyes fell on Nathaniel who contemplated the suggestion. "Well… it _would _be a good project to work on since it's our final year at high school _and _the school's anniversary…" He smiled. "I'll bring it up with Miss Principal and tell you what she says."

A few of the students cheered.  
"All I know is that if there is a yearbook club, I want to be the president of it." Peggy said, setting down her recording device and crossing her arms defiantly.  
"Come on Peggy, that's not fair. You're already in charge of the school newspaper. How about giving someone else a chance?" Kim said.  
"We'll just have a vote." Violette said democratically.  
Iris smiled at the girl in encouragement. "Violette's right. That way, everything is fair." She spoke up.  
"What if I don't want to be part of the club?" Capucine asked.  
"Then you don't to be. It's whoever wants in." Rosalya told her.

"Hey, while you guys are arguing about something pointless," Castiel spoke up, gaining the attention of the students, "I'd rather listen to the story about the ghost that haunts the school at night." A wicked smile crossed his face. Beside him, Lysander rolled his eyes.  
Everyone was silent.  
"G-g-ghost?" Kentin repeated, his voice a squeak. Violette's eyes widened and she clutched her large art book tighter.  
Castiel smirked at Lara, who had told him about her yearbook discoveries a few days ago. He had been walking Demon and Lara, once again, invited herself along and bombarded him with information, including the story of the ghost of Sweet Amoris. "Care to tell 'em the details?" He asked.

Lara nodded and flicked through her notebook again. All eyes were on her.

"Well, you see…" Lara began, smoothing the page of her notebook. "In 1984, a student named Myla Rose mysteriously disappeared from the town. She was an average student, the records say, who had a passion for music and sports. One day she just… disappeared. No-one could contact her, no-one had seen her and after a few unsuccessful months of searching, the police filed the case unsolved and believed her to be dead. No evidence of her being dead surfaced but there was no evidence to suggest that she was alive either. To this day, no-one knows what happened to her."

Amber, Li and Charlotte had huddled closer together. "That has to be a lie, obviously." Amber said in what she hoped was a confident voice (it wasn't).  
"Nope. It's all in the 1984 yearbook, which had quite a few pages dedicated to Myla's memory. There's a long letter by her then-boyfriend Robert Parks and a few short paragraphs of how much she'll be missed by friends." Lara told her.  
"That's freaky!" Rosalya spoke up.

Lara nodded. "Anyway, continuing on. As I said, Myla was a music student and she could play the piano very well. Her favourite piece, according to her music teacher, was Beethoven's Piano Sonata 14, also known as the Moonlight Sonata. A few months after her death, students who stayed back at school to study swore that they heard that song being played but when they peeked into the music room at the end of the hallway, no-one was there. They concluded that it was the ghost of the Myla, in full belief that she had died and come back to play the piece she loved because the mystery of her disappearance was never solved, and so she could never rest in peace. The school was shut down for a month for police investigation because students and staff were terrified to attend it and then when it opened up again, no more music was heard."

Lara inched closer to the group. "Although, some students in yearbooks a few years after her disappearance still write about the sad and beautiful music they hear playing from the room. Whether or not they say it as a cruel joke or are being completely honest, no-one knows."

Lara leaned back, closing her notebook and smiling. "And that is the story of the ghost Myla, who haunts the school to this very day." She concluded.

Violette's eyes were wide and Iris shivered. "How... How terrifying!" She exclaimed, her soft voice laced with worry. Iris placed an arm around her friends shoulder in comfort.  
"Come on guy, it's not real. No such things as ghosts." Kim reassured the more jumpy ones in the group, although she didn't sound completely sure of her words.  
"But… there_ have_ been noises heard from the school after hours. No Moonlight Sonata but definitely some kind of music." Melody spoke up, eyebrows creased in worry.  
"There's nothing to worry about. It's just a rumour spread by students." Nathaniel spoke up quickly, crossing his arms and looking away.  
Castiel smirked evilly. "How are you guys so sure? This isn't something you can prove. I say someone spends the night in the music room just to make sure." He said.  
Nathaniel narrowed his eyes at Castiel.  
Kentin gasped. "A-a-are you crazy!?" He squeaked, feeling quite afraid. "Who in their right mind would be stupid enough to do something like that!?"  
"I take up that challenge!" Lara said, raising her arm happily. The students looked at her, some in shock and some in awe.  
"You go girl!" Rosalya cheered. Lara dramatically bowed, a cheeky smile on her face while other students laughed.

Immediately Kentin blushed and prayed that Lara didn't hear that he thought it was a stupid idea.  
"You're insane Lara!" Iris said, shaking her head.  
Castiel laughed. "I was joking, crazy girl." He said.  
Lysander smiled helplessly and rolled his eyes. "Forgive him. He said that to stir everyone up." Lysander told the group, half of whom were eyeing daggers at the cackling red-head. "Plus, I don't think you can stay the night here anyway. The school gets locked down after sunset, so unless you want to be held accountable for breaking and entering, I'd suggest against spending the night in the music room."  
Lara pouted. "I really did want to spend the night here, ghost or no ghost. It would've been pretty interesting." She smiled. "Oh well. Hey, you guys want to hear more about the school's history?"

All the students nodded, leaning back to listen to Lara weave her tales.

* * *

The next day, Lara was in big trouble.

"Care to explain yourself, Lara?" Miss Principal asked the ginger haired girl, hands on her hips and eyes narrowed into slits. Amber stood beside her, pouting, her hands crossed in front of her. Lara scratched the back of her head and her eyes widened in confusion as she looked between the object of Miss Principal's distress and Amber.

"Uh… It's pretty…?" She joked nervously, hoping Miss Principal would loosen up.

She did the exact opposite.

"_Pretty!?_ It's graffiti on Amber's locker! There's nothing pretty about it!" Miss Principal shouted at Lara. The small group of students that had formed laughed, which made Lara a little less nervous. As the principal told the students to leave, Lara eyed Amber. The blonde smirked quickly before pouting again. Lara frowned. The bitch even had tears on the corners of her eyes, just to reinforce the fact that she was the 'victim' in this situation.

"Are you listening to me!?" Miss Principal shouted. Lara's head snapped back to the teacher.  
"Yes ma'am." Lara replied.  
Miss Principal sighed. "I can't believe this. You're one of the newest students here, you can't afford to get in trouble. Nevertheless, I want you to apologise to Amber and clean this terrible graffiti off her locker. While you're at it, you can clean the staircase at the end of the hallway. That must've been your doing too."  
Lara's eyes widened. "I completely understand you would want the person who did this punished, but it wasn't me." She defended herself.  
Amber of course, decided to speak up. "She had the spray can in her hand, Miss Principal." Amber sniffed. "Peggy saw her take it out of her locker."  
_  
Peggy!?_ Lara's eyes widened in shock._ If it were Li or Charlotte then I would believe it but…Peggy? When did she become a part of Ambers' clique?_ Lara thought.

Miss Principal crossed her arms. "There you have it. An eyewitness. Now then, your punishment, as I said, is to clean the graffiti off Amber's locker and the graffiti on the staircase. After school. And I don't care how long it takes, you're going to clean until it is spotless, do you understand?"  
Lara was about to protest but then thought for a moment.  
_As long as it takes?  
_"Does that mean you're not going to lock down the school?" She asked.

The principal frowned, wondering as to why Lara was asking such an odd question. "We only lock down the gates on Friday. Some of the teachers need to be here after hours and since today is Tuesday, it'll be open. Students however, usually get in trouble if they're caught here after hours, unless they're serving a detention or completing study sessions or extracurricular activities." Miss Principal informed.

To both Amber and the principal's surprise, Lara smiled. "Okay. I understand." Lara said. She turned to Amber. "Sorry, Amber." She said in a completely unapologetic tone. Amber, who had thought Lara would be extremely angry about the fact that she had been pranked, stepped backwards at the calm reaction. She was hoping Lara would cause a scene and get into more trouble with the principal. But, cool as ever, Lara happily asked where the supplies were to clean the locker and staircase, politely said goodbye and walked off to the student council room where the principal told her to ask Nathaniel.

Amber felt Miss Principal's shock before the lady turned to face her.  
"If this happens again, please inform me at once." She mumbled, eyeing Amber suspiciously, like she didn't entirely believe that Lara did the crime she was being punished for.  
Amber nodded and the principal walked off, leaving the blonde alone with her thoughts for a while before Li, Charlotte and Peggy approached her.  
"Everything go okay?" Charlotte asked, looking at the graffiti. It was her work – writing 'ghost' down Amber's locker and then spraying random lined designs in different colours.  
Amber frowned. "I guess… I don't know, she just wasn't as angry as I thought she'd be." She replied.  
Li tilted her head to the side. "Odd…" She said before turning to Peggy and asking: "Did you say anything to her?"

Peggy shook her head. "No, I swear. I was the one who wanted to pull this prank, why would I spoil it?" She replied, although she did feel guilty that Lara had to clean up the mess. She brought the idea of pranking the Lara to Amber and her friends, because she was angry at the fact that Lara had stolen her spotlight. All with her natural charm, too. Peggy had none of that. Even though she and Lara shared similar traits and goals, the people around Peggy found her rude and invasive while students flocked like sheep to Lara. It was jealousy that made Peggy confront Amber, who also didn't like Lara, and suggest they prank her. Amber agreed right away. Li came up with the idea; get Charlotte, (the 'graffiti artist', as they called her), to spray Amber's locker and then get Peggy to be an eyewitness saying that Lara did it. So they, who knew the school wasn't locked on weekdays, stayed back to spray the locker (and the staircase, just for fun) and finalised their plan, waiting for Lara to get the shock of her life the next day.

What the girls didn't expect was how the girl took it so easily.

* * *

"Let me get this straight." Nathaniel said, running his hand through his glossy hair. "Amber, Li, Charlotte and Peggy are out to get you and so devised a 'wicked plot', as you like to say, to get you in 'major shit' with Miss Principal, which consisted of spray painting Amber's locker and the staircase at the end of the hall to frame you for a reason unknown." He recounted Lara's explanation.  
The girl nodded, her curls bouncing with her bobbing head. "That's right! Your sister framed me! What are you going to about it?" She asked, crossing her arms.  
Nathaniel sighed. "I'm sorry she did that to you. I'll have a talk with her." He said.  
"Thank you." Lara said happily.  
"I'll leave the cleaning supplies out for you to take after school… um, Lara, if I could ask a question… You're being punished for something you didn't do, so why do you seem so happy about it?" Nathaniel asked.  
Lara grinned. "Well, now I can discover the truth about the ghost in the music room." She said.  
Nathaniel groaned. "I told you, there's no such thing as a ghost there!" He said angrily.  
Lara raised her eyebrows. "You seem pretty defensive. Are you, perhaps, hiding something from me?" She questioned.

Nathaniel immediately shook his head furiously, cheeks reddening. He mumbled something about having to get the supplies for her before briskly leaving the room. Lara narrowed her eyes before shrugging and following Nathaniel out the door. She was met with Castiel, who was eyeing the graffiti on Amber's locker.

"Hey crazy girl, I hear you're responsible for this." He said with a smirk, crossing his arms. "Didn't know you had it in you. I must say, I'm impressed."  
"Sorry to break it to ya Cassie, but your ears deceive you. That's not my dirty work." Lara explained.  
"Did you just call me Cassie?" Castiel asked grimly, his hand balling into a fist ready to bop the girl on the head.  
Lara laughed. "Like I said, your ears deceive you _Castiel_." She said with a wink.  
Castiel rolled his eyes. "Whatever. If you didn't do it, why do I hear you have to clean it? You're such a pushover." He told her.  
"You see Cassie – ow! You need to stop bopping me on the head, by the way, – I am not a pushover. Now I can stay back after hours and see whether the rumour of the ghost in the music room is true." She explained.  
Castiel looked just as irritated as Nathaniel had when she revealed the reasons for her compliance to the punishment. "There's no ghost Lara." He said firmly.  
Lara frowned. "Well, I want to see for myself. And even if there isn't, it'll still be fun."  
"You're so stubborn. I'm telling you there's nothing in the school." Castiel told her.  
Lara crossed her arms. "Whether there is something or not, it's up for me to decide after I have a look around. Why are you so edgy about this? Even Nathaniel was like this. It seems to me it's the only thing you guys agree on so there must be something you're hiding from everyone." She told him.  
Castiel threw his arms up. "Whatever. Do what you want. But if you get scared, don't come crying to me later." He said before turning around and walking away. Lara watched him go, a frown on her face.

"Something's up..." She said to herself, resolve building up in her. Now she was more determined than ever to stay back after school.

"And I'm going to find out what."

* * *

**Thanks Scarebear for your review, glad you're luffing it ^^**


	8. Chapter 7: Expect the unexpected

**Chapter 7: Expect the unexpected  
**As soon as school had ended for the day, Lara walked to the student council room to get the cleaning supplies. Some of her friends had heard about the graffiti and asked her about it, to which Lara replied honestly that it wasn't her. Some believed her, some didn't, but the opinions of those around Lara were of no concern. She knew it was Amber and her group, plus Peggy which was a surprise, and that in time she'd get them back with a better prank.

For now, Lara silently thanked them, picking up the bucket filled with soapy water and the sponge Nathaniel had left for her on the table. If it wasn't for those tramps then she wouldn't be at the school at night, which is what she wanted. She exited the student council room and nodded a goodbye to Iris and Melody, who wished her luck as they opened the front doors and left the school

Lara took her time. She was in no rush – sunset was around 8pm and it was only 3. She wanted to be here in the dark. So, Lara took photos of the graffiti on the staircase and on Amber's locker with the camera around her neck. She sought refuge in a classroom and sat on one of the desks, reading from the book her English class had been prescribed. She jotted down what had happened today in her journal and listened to some music on her phone. When she checked her watch she was delighted to find that she had managed to entertain herself for a good three and a half hours. By the time she finished scrubbing Amber's locker and the staircase clean, it would be dark.

So she got to work. Her arms hurt as she cleaned and Lara grumbled that she would definitely get those four girls back and make them admit to Miss Principal that they had set her up. Thoughts of revenge, as unhealthy as it was, and anticipation for the sun to set kept Lara going as she scrubbed Amber's clocker clean.

When Lara had finished, she stretched and stood up. _Time to go to the staircase._ She thought with a sigh, bending to pick up the bucket before making her way down the corridor. She reached the staircase, where, thankfully, there were only small amounts of paint on the wall, unlike the whole span of Amber's locker. Lara noticed two doors, one on either wall beside the staircase. One of them was the music room; she didn't know what the other held.

_Soon_, Lara thought as she placed the bucket on the floor and began to clean. _It'll be dark soon._ As she worked, she found a box on the floor. Picking it up, she frowned. The box… there were cigarettes inside it. The only person she knew who smoked was… "Castiel…" She said with a sigh, shaking her head. _That boy_. If these were found by a teacher then he'd get in serious trouble. She packed it in her bag and just as she finished cleaning the last piece of graffiti, when the sun had just about set, she heard a shrill noise that made her jump.

_Briiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiing_.

Lara yelped, slipping on water that had dropped from the sponge and falling flat on her behind, the wind knocked out of her. She sat on the floor silently, waiting. A less louder sound followed before the noise stopped completely and Lara looked towards the source. It was coming from the room she didn't know. It was definitely a musical instrument, but not a piano. It sounded metallic… like a guitar?

Lara held her breath in the silence that followed. She heard soft, muffled noises from the room. She felt like a bit of an idiot, sitting still on the floor and waiting for something to happen. She mentally slapped herself. "Get your ass up and check it out." She told herself confidently. Lara lifted herself from the floor, clutching her camera and switching it on. A smile came across her face as she felt the familiar adrenaline rush fill her when she was excited.

Slowly, Lara crept to the door and put her ear against it. She heard the metallic sounds again but they were much softer, so soft she could barely hear them even in such short proximity. One hand on the button of her camera and the other on the door handle, Lara took a deep breath. "Let's see what we have here." She mumbled to herself, gripping the handle.

Lara slammed the door open, pushing it so quickly it hit the wall and bounced back. She held her camera to her face and snapped away at the unsuspecting guests in the room, who were holding their hands in front of their faces to block the flash from getting in their eyes.  
"What the fuck!?" A familiar voice yelled.  
Lara's eyes widened as she recognised the people in the room.

"Castiel? Lysander? What the hell are you two doing here?" She exclaimed, her mouth agape.  
"We could ask you the same question, Lara." Lysander said, lifting his hand to his chest. "You quite nearly gave us heart attacks."  
Castiel balled his fists. "You really are crazy aren't you!?" He exclaimed.  
"I heard something and came to check it out!" Lara told him, looking behind the boy. She was right; the sound she heard was a guitar, an electric one hooked to a small speaker.  
"Let me guess. You thought it was the ghost right?" Castiel mocked sarcastically, crossing his arms.  
Lara frowned. "No. The ghost is meant to be in the music room and the noise was supposed to be coming from a piano, not a guitar."

Castiel sighed, mumbling about how idiotic Lara was to still be going on about ghosts as if they existed and Lysander looked him helplessly. "I guess we should explain now that we've been found out." He told his best friend. Castiel nodded and looked at Lara.  
"You're too curious for your own good." He said.  
Lara chuckled, all the tension she felt slowly leaving her. "Is that an insult or a compliment?" She joked. Lysander smiled.  
"It's an insult! Ugh, whatever. Listen, don't you dare tell anyone what I'm about to tell you. Lysander and I are in a band. We like to practise our music here, in the basement, because it has really good acoustics and no-one from the outside can hear us if we aren't too loud. Also, when I say 'our' music, I mean music that Mr Fielder, the music teacher, won't let us perform, which is why we can't practise this in the music club. Unfortunately, I completely forgot that you'd be here today and decided to turn up the speaker to check how a note would sound. That's what you heard." Castiel explained.

"That makes sense. Well, what about Nathaniel? He was just as jumpy as you today. Is he in the band?" Lara asked.  
"Hell no! There's no way I'd be in a band with that prick. That damn student body president discovered that I had stolen the keys that open the basement and the balcony. He knows we practise here but can't say anything to the teachers or we'd all get in trouble. So he keeps it a secret." Castiel told her.  
"You'll keep it a secret too, won't you Lara?" Lysander asked.  
Lara nodded. "Sure. I won't tell anyone." Lara then looked at Castiel. "You probably scared away the ghost though. Guess cleaning all that paint was worth nothing." Lara said with a sigh.  
"I'm telling you, there's no ghost. It's been me and Lysander the whole time." Castiel argued.  
Lysander shook his head but had an amused smile on his face. "Leave her be Castiel. She's free to believe what she wants." He said. Lara thanked him and stuck her tongue out at Castiel, who was ready to bop her on the head.

A phone started ringing and Lysander stretched. "That must be Leigh." Lysander said, stretching. "My older brother. He said he would come by and pick me up." He explained to Lara. "How about we call it a day?"  
Castiel and Lara both agreed with him. "Oh, Castiel, I found a cigarette packet on the stairs. It doesn't happen to be yours, does it?" Lara spoke up.  
"So _that's_ where I lost them." Castiel mused.  
Lysander chuckled. "Take better care of your things Castiel. Imagine if it had been a teacher who picked that up. Would any of you like a lift home?" He asked.  
Lara shook her head. "Nah, I've got my bike." She said.  
"Same." Castiel said.  
"In that case, I'll go on ahead. See you both tomorrow." Lysander told them.  
"See you tomorrow Lys." Lara happily said. The boy waved and turned to the door, walking away.

Lara waited for Castiel to switch the equipment he had been using 'off' before rummaging around her bag for the cigarettes and handing them over. "I've got to take these back to the student council room." Lara told him, indicating to the bucket and sponge.  
"Eh, I'll wait for you at the front doors. I might as well walk you to the bike rack. It's pretty dark and knowing you, you're bound to get lost." Castiel told her.  
"Such a gentleman. I'll meet you at the front then." Lara replied with a smile, picking up the cleaning products and walking to the student council room. She placed them on the table and exited the room, beginning to walk to the front of the school when a noise had her frozen in place.

The soft notes of what Lara recognised as Beethoven's _Moonlight Sonata_ reached her ears. Lara's eyes widened as she stood fixated in her place, looking back at the hallway where the staircase was. The noise was coming from there, it had to be. There was no piano in the basement; it had to be from the music room opposite it. Lara had never been more scared in her life but couldn't bring herself to move. She was mesmerised by the piece, the melodic notes seeming to reach down to her soul and making her heart ache with sadness and fear.

_Was it really the ghost?_ Lara would certainly believe it. But then again, it could just be Castiel trying to scare her.

"Hey, why are you just standing there?" Castiel called from the front of the school, walking up to her. Lara took a sharp inhale of breath and whipped around to face the boy, eyes wide. He frowned. "What's wrong, crazy girl?" He asked.  
Lara grabbed onto his jacket and put a finger to her lips. "Do you hear that?" She whispered.  
Castiel opened his mouth to say something but any words he was about to utter were caught in his throat as he heard it; the soft piano playing coming from the music room.  
They stared at each other in silence for a long time, petrified to move. Castiel suddenly snapped to life.  
"Come on." He said softly.

_They walked out of the building, Castiel taking Lara's hand a bit roughly and without saying a word the whole way - date dialogue, MCL, episode 4._

As soon as they exited the school grounds, the two broke into a run in the direction of Lara's apartment, their bikes long forgotten. The warm air whipped against them as they ran, Castiel tightly grasping Lara's hand as he led the way.

Lara had never felt like this before. The adrenalin and excitement that usually came to her when she did something so daring or adventurous were suddenly foreign to her and all she felt was cold fear. What _was_ that? Lara had walked into her detention expecting to find _something_, ghost or not. But now that she had faced the situation, she had no idea of what to do and felt scared right down to her bones. She wasn't even sure as to how she was running. Lara was lucky Castiel was leading the way, otherwise she'd probably still be at the school and frozen with fear.

When they reached the apartment building, Lara collapsed on the ground and Castiel leaned against the wall, resting his hands on his knees. Both were panting heavily; they hadn't stopped running since leaving the school and probably broke a record with how fast they reached the apartment.

"L-let's… go… in." Lara panted, slowly getting onto her feet. Castiel nodded and followed her into the building and up the stairs to fourth floor. They were quiet as they tried to steady their breathing. Lara's hand shook as she unlocked the door of her apartment and beckoned Castiel in. She stepped into her threshold, feeling a wave of relief and safety wash over her.

"Can I… get… some water?" Castiel, still panting, asked.  
"Sure…" Lara replied, walking into the kitchen. She reached for two glasses from the cupboard, almost dropping them on the floor before opening the fridge and reaching for the jug of water. She shakily poured in the two cups before handing one over to Castiel. They both drunk, savouring the cool liquid as it ran down their throats and eased their working minds.

When they had calmed down a little, Castiel finally spoke. "This wasn't you, was it? You didn't ask someone to play some sort of fucking sick joke to prove a point did you?" Castiel asked in a low voice. He didn't sound scared. He sounded completely calm, which gave Lara some relief. Then she realised his accusation.  
"Are you fucking kidding me? Of course not! I thought _you_ were trying to scare _me _to prove a point!" Lara whispered. She was still shaking.  
"It wasn't Lysander. He knows piano but would never _ever _do something like that. He'd think of it as a joke in poor taste." Castiel said. "There was no-one else in the school except us, unless someone who listened to your story of the ghost decided to prank us. Hey, are you okay?" Castiel asked.  
Lara set her cup down and laughed nervously. "I'll be fine. Just a little shocked, that's all. I mean, when I wanted to see whether or not the ghost was real it never crossed my mind that I might actually…" Lara sighed. "That was crazy." She said, watching as Castiel also placed his cup next to hers.

Lara wasn't expecting to be engulfed in a warm embrace. Then again, she didn't think Castiel was the type of guy who was able to express caring emotions, both physically and verbally. So she was quite shocked when the red-head slung his hands over her back and pulled her close. She was squished in between his strong arms and hard chest and found herself smiling at how warm and safe she felt, even though Castiel was hugging her so tight she felt her back breaking. She laughed in his chest. Of course. Even his acts of caring were rough, just like his personality.

They stood like that for a while before Castiel slowly slid his arms away from Lara's body. He had a light dusting of pink on his cheeks and the hard lines of his usual scowl were soft. He lifted his hand and lightly flicked Lara on the side of her head. "You're a journalist. Expect the unexpected." He told her. Lara smiled softly. Castiel might not have known but he could be really good at comforting people, when he bothered to replace his sarcasm with kindness.

"Thanks Castiel." Lara said. Castiel grunted in reply and shrugged his shoulders, placing his hands in the pockets of his leather jacket.  
"Don't mention it. You're such a child, crazy girl." He mumbled. "I'm going home now."  
Lara nodded. "Do you want something else to drink before you leave?" She asked.  
Castiel smirked. "Unless you have any alcohol lying around, then no thank you." He said.  
Lara rolled her eyes. "I imagine it to be hard to keep up that bad boy image. Come on Cassie, you can be real with me." She joked, receiving another flick on the side of the head for the nickname.

Lara walked Castiel to the door and they both exchanged phone numbers.  
"Hey, Cas? Just be careful on your way home… text me, when you get there." She told him.  
Castiel didn't see a need to text Lara but noticed the pleading in her wide eyes, the worry they held, and agreed to her request.  
"I will. Goodnight." He said.  
"Goodnight." Lara echoed, watching him leave before shutting the door and locking it behind her.

Lara leaned against the frame and sunk to the floor, letting out a breath before reciting the alphabet. _That certainly was an adventure._ She thought to herself. While she hadn't solved the mystery of the ghost tonight (and frankly, felt herself both afraid and excited to continue her search again), she _had _managed to get a few shots of the surprised Castiel and Lysander. She picked up the camera from around her neck and looked through the photos she had taken, smiling.

Standing up, Lara stretched. It had been a long day. For her, it was time to make a nice hot cup of tea, recount the day's events in her journal and then head off to bed.

* * *

**A/N: Thank you to Scarebear, ChloeWoodxX and Guest for reviewing. I'm glad you're all enjoying it thus far :)**


	9. Chapter 8: No rest for the weary

**Chapter 8: No rest for the weary**

Lara had not slept at all last night.

It wasn't that she was scared; she was a very brave girl who was committed to her work as a journalist, willing to put herself in danger to get what she wanted (even if she got into trouble afterwards). But her mind wouldn't stop working and she found herself thinking of the 'ghost'. New questions and theories popped into her brain and she tossed and turned in her bed, willing thoughts away and forcing her eyes to stay shut.

When the sun began to rise Lara gave up on her mission to sleep. She jumped out of bed, feeling a little disorientated. She mumbled the alphabet under her breath and walked to the kitchen, making herself a cup of tea before taking it outside to the balcony.

Lara loved the balcony in her apartment. It was quite large and she loved the view it gave her (although sometimes she would wish she was on the top floor where she was sure the view was even better). She had bought a small table and chair a few weeks ago and kept them on the balcony, as she felt her most inspired when she was outdoors. Lara would write her articles or in her journal, or complete homework and assignments, all while listening to the leaves rustling on the trees and the birds tweeting happily and feeling nice breezes hit her face. She sat there now, sipping her sweet tea and watching the sun rise slowly over the horizon, trying to stray her thoughts away from ghosts and pianos.

She wondered how Castiel was doing. He seemed pretty spooked but managed to keep it together better than she did. Lara bit her lip and shook her head. Although Castiel denied it, Lara felt that it could've been Lysander who played the piano that night. It was only logical. Castiel said the boy knew piano; maybe he just wanted to mess with Lara because of how she barged into their band practise?

Anymore thoughts were pushed aside as she heard her alarm clock beeping loudly from her room. She downed the last of her now-cold tea and rushed back into the apartment, switching the alarm off and walking to the kitchen to take her medication before getting ready for school. She had forgotten her bike yesterday when she and Castiel rushed home; that meant she had to walk or take the bus.

And since she was feeling tired from her sleepless night, she wisely decided to take the bus.

* * *

"Hey crazy girl. You don't seem so crazy today. Still spooked?" Castiel teased with an evil smirk.  
Lara narrowed her eyes at him before putting her head down on her desk, groaning. They were in class, waiting for Mr Faraize, who was late. "No I am not still spooked." She said, her voice muffled due to the fact that she had meshed her face into her desk and arms. "I just didn't get any sleep."  
"Sounds like you're spooked to me." Castiel said with a shrug.

Lara lifted her hand and flicked Castiel the bird, head still leaning against the desk. Castiel laughed. "You've still got your guts." He commented before bopping her lightly on the head for the rude gesture.  
Lara finally lifted her head and yawned. "More like _lucky_ I've still got guts. Have you ever taken the bus Cassie? Not filled with friendly people, I'll tell you that. I was pretty sure I was going to be stabbed." She told him.  
"And why did you take the bus when you have a perfectly good bike that, if you haven't forgotten, is always stealing my spot at the bike rack time and time again?" Castiel asked sarcastically.  
"Because I left it at said bike rack when we fled away in terror yesterday, asswipe." Lara replied.  
"Jeez crazy girl, you're rude when you're tired." Castiel commented amusingly. "And you're not the only one who left a bike here. I'm lucky my motorbike wasn't stolen in the night.

Lara yawned again. "Yeah. What about you? How are you feeling?" She asked, rubbing her eyes.  
Castiel was silent for a moment. "Well, I'm better than you." He replied in a low voice. He also hadn't slept very well last night and had the dark circles under his eyes to prove it.  
"We both were pretty scared yesterday." Lara said.  
"Yeah. And if you tell anyone about it, I will end you. Understand?" Castiel threatened.  
"Ditto. I have my pride as a journalist at stake. I can't be seen running away from a scoop, can I?" Lara said.

"And what scoop would this be?"  
Lysander's voice had the two students jumping in their seats. The boy raised his eyebrows quizzically. "What's wrong?" He asked in a light voice, silver hair falling in front of his face as he moved to sit next to Lara.  
"Nothing of importance..." Lara mumbled, rubbing her eyes again. "By the way, were you in the music room yesterday? After you told us you were leaving?" She asked.  
Lysander shook his head. "No. I went straight home, as I said. Why?"  
Lara and Castiel glanced at each other. Castiel leaned towards Lysander.  
"We heard something in the music room. The Moonlight Sonata." He whispered, his face grim.  
Lysander raised his eyebrows, eyes gleaming. "How curious… I can assure you it wasn't me. I spotted Leigh at the end of the corridor and we went home together. You can ask him for confirmation." He told the two.  
"It's okay Lys, we believe you. But… Do you think…" Lara didn't even finish her sentence. The others knew what she meant and thought the same thing; _do you think it was the ghost?_

Lara was impartial; as both a journalist and a firm believer in 'doing-the-right-thing', Lara tried to keep a pleasant and open demeanour and a character that was free of bias and corruption. She kept her mind open to everything, with belief that no matter what anyone told her, she'd be able to determine a truth. After her encounter yesterday, Lara was conflicted; did that mean keeping her mind open to the supernatural? Her faith in all things mystic had sky-rocketed since the incident with the music room. The natural fear of something unknown seemed completely logical to her; but her journalistic side was scolding her for being naïve, nagging that she needed evidence before she could come up with a solid conclusion.

_Come on Lara. Don't be fooled by stories that could have been altered over the years. If there is a ghost, where is your proof?_ Lara repeated these words in her head to reassure herself.

After a pause, Lysander spoke up. "I highly doubt that, Lara." He said, twirling a pen in his slender fingers. "Many things exist in this world, and I am not one to say otherwise. But stories of ghosts and hauntings are fiction, if not to the majority of people, to me at least. I don't think you or Castiel should worry yourself over something that is most likely the work of a human being."  
Lara managed a smile. "You make perfect sense Lysander." She sighed, feeling much better after listening to Lysander's soothing and logical words. Lysander smiled back. Castiel nodded and crossed his arms.  
"I don't know what the hell that was yesterday, but Lysander is right. We shouldn't say that it was a ghost; they don't exist in the first place."

The door of the classroom slammed opened, banging loudly against the wall. Castiel and Lara jumped again at the sudden noise. Lara's chair skidded across the floor as she jumped back and she yelped, helplessly flailing as she fell to the floor. The students in the class turned back at the noise, some giggling and others looking worried.

"S-sorry I'm late!" Mr Faraize said, peering over the large stack of books he had in his hands. A guilty look crossed his face when he saw Lara on the floor, grumbling under her breath and being helped up by a concerned Lysander and scowling Castiel. "Sorry about that. I must've kicked the door with too much forced." He apologised, looking at Lara, who glared back at him as she fixed her chair upright. Mr Faraize rushed to the desks and dumped the books on it, letting out a laborious _huff_ in relief.

"If I had the energy, I'd laugh at myself." Lara grumbled to Castiel and Lysander as she sat back down in her chair and sighed. She never let things like slipping and falling bother her; she thought it was good to have a laugh at yourself once in a while. But she was tense and tired and grumpy and so slumped back down onto the desk feeling embarrassed and ashamed.  
Lysander patted her on the shoulder while Castiel merely nodded at her words, understanding her feelings. The three turned their attention to Mr Faraize.

"Okay class, next week is the last week of term. We've finished our current book and are going to start a new one. I'm going to hand them out today and expect you all to get a head start on reading it so that next term we can get right into the work." Mr Faraize explained, picking up the top book from the stack and turning the cover to the class.

"Hamlet, by William Shakespeare." He said happily.

Lara looked at the book in disbelief, her eyes wide. "A story about a ghost who can't rest in peace? Are you kidding me?" She whispered angrily across to Castiel and Lysander.  
Lysander looked at her helplessly and Castiel rested his head on the desk, groaning. "This day is getting worse and worse." He mumbled.

* * *

Lara stood with her arms crossed in front of the music room. She eyed the door down, contemplating whether to go inside or not. Truthfully, she didn't want to; her heartbeat was so fast she was concerned it was going to explode from her chest and her palms were sweaty. And she was meant to be at the gardening club right now, as extra-curricular activities were just about to start, so she had somewhere else to be. She didn't expect to find anything, and then again didn't even know what she was looking _for_.

But she had to have a look.

Lara opened the door and immediately her senses were engulfed with the smell of flowers. She suddenly recalled how Jade had asked the members of the gardening club to place some plants throughout the school last week. Violette had taken a large number of them to the music room and must've kept coming in to water and care for them because they were blooming beautifully.

[Lara had to place a flower and plant in the student council room and the classroom opposite it for that task. She had discovered, after placing the flower in the student council room, that Nathaniel was allergic to pollen. She apologised but couldn't help giggle at his red face and lisp due to his swollen lips as he lectured her.

"You shouldn't be laughing at stuff like this!" He had told her (incoherently), placing his red face in his hands.

"Hey, if it makes you feel any better, you're not the only one with a problem here. I've got A.D.D." She spoke up. Nathaniel stared at her, suddenly understanding the reason for her hyper-activeness. He wondered how he had missed that in her student files as he watched her pick up the flower and skip happily out of the room].

"Can I help you?" A voice to her left asked. Lara felt her heartbeat quicken, if that were even possible, as she glanced to the side. She was met with a man she recognised as a teacher, whom she recalled usually spent time with Mr Faraize. He was very tall and had black hair that was greying, and had blue eyes that shone through his thick glasses.  
"Uh, no. I just wanted to see the music room. I haven't been in here before." Lara explained quickly. "Who are you?"  
The man turned to the papers on the desk, picking them up and straightening them. "I'm Mr Fielder, in charge of the music club, which is just about to start in a few minutes. Are you new?" He replied.  
"I started at this school this year. I'm Lara Reed." Lara told him. She recognised the name from yesterday; Castiel mentioned Mr Fielder, who wouldn't let him and Lysander practise their music in the music room.  
"Nice to meet you." The man mumbled.

Lara quickly cast her gaze around the room. It was quite large and decorated with sheet music and colourful posters. An assortment of instruments were neatly placed around the room; at the back there were some guitars, electric and acoustic, next to a few speakers. There were a few boxes with smaller instruments like maracas and triangles lined up against the wall next to some keyboards. There were microphones too and music stands in front of them, to hold up sheet music and lyrics.

Then there was the piano. It stood at the far left corner of the room and was a brown colour that looked worn and used over time, with gold decoration art along the edges.  
"The piano is nice." Lara commented.  
Mr Fielder raised his eyebrows. "You play?" He asked.  
Lara shook her head. "No, I don't. I just think it looks really nice."  
Mr Fielder nodded in agreement. "It's quite old. The school wants to get a new one but it still works fine. As long as it works, there should be no need to get rid of it." He said sadly.  
"Can you play it, Mr Fielder?" Lara asked.  
"Yes, as well as other instruments. I am a music teacher after all." Mr Fielder said with a small smile.  
"Were you here playing it last night?" Lara asked.  
Mr Fielder looked confused at the odd question. Lara knew she was being very abrupt and possibly rude, but she just _had_ to find something. Anything. And if it was Mr Fielder playing the piano yesterday, then all her nervousness about what happened would be settled. "Pardon?" He asked.

Lara told Mr Fielder she had heard someone playing the piano yesterday and repeated her question. Mr Fielder shook his head. "No, I wasn't here yesterday after hours. However if you heard something playing, I'm assuming a student snuck into the classroom. I'm going to have to find out who it was." Mr Fielder smiled at Lara. "Thank you for informing me." He said.  
Lara nodded back, sensing that she had to leave. "I guess I'll be going now." She told him.  
Mr Fielder gestured to the air. "You're always welcome." He said, turning back to his papers.

Glancing back at the piano one more time, Lara thanked Mr Fielder and turned to leave the room. Although she didn't find anything about what had happened yesterday, she felt a little better after having seen the music room. It didn't look gloomy and dark and haunted. It looked normal and welcoming. Surely a ghost would stay clear from such lively places, right?

Lost in thought on the way to the gardening club, Lara heard Ken's voice calling her. She sighed and turned around to face the boy who looked extremely upset.  
"Lara, it's terrible!" He sniffed, moving forward to hug her.  
Lara stepped back to avoid him, holding her arms out in front of her. "What's up Ken?" She asked.  
"My dad is making me leave the school and join a military camp!" He said sadly. "He said that I'm a wimp because Amber stole twenty dollars off me and I didn't do anything about it!"  
Lara's tired eyes went wide. "Amber! That girl…" Lara shook her head and sighed. She really had to come up with a good prank to get the blonde back for the hell she had given her (and now, Kentin too). "Ken, what does your father do for a living?" She asked.  
"He's in the military." Ken told her, sniffing. "I just came to school to pick up my things and say goodbye. Oh, right!"  
Ken removed the bag from his back and reached inside it, bringing out a furry teddy bear.  
"This is for you Lara! Please don't forget me!" He handed it to her.  
Lara took the bear and smiled at the gesture. "Thank you Ken, you didn't have to get me anything." She told him.  
Ken managed a smile. "As long as it makes you happy Lara!" He said, still sniffing. Before Lara could move, Ken quickly hugged her and promised that he would try and contact her when he was away before waving goodbye and running down the hallway.

Lara shook her head and stared at the teddy bear. It was extremely cute and she felt a little guilty for taking it, but was still happy that Ken made the effort to get her something.  
"Hey! You!" Amber's voice had Lara looking up and groaning at the girl.  
"What do you want?" Lara asked, honestly no bothered to deal with the blonde at the moment.  
"I want _you_ to leave the school, that's what I want!" She yelled.  
"Bit extreme, don't you think?" Lara asked, grinning.  
"No, I don't. I can't believe it! Because of _you,_ _I've_ been suspended!" Amber whined, stomping her foot.  
Lara looked at her in amusement. "Wow, _I_ got you suspended? Where's my trophy?" She joked.  
"It's not something to be proud of! You got my stupid brother to talk to me and then Peggy decided to have a change of heart and tell the principal about our little plan to get you in trouble." Amber explained.  
Lara raised her eyebrows. "The day you made my clean up the graffiti from your locker and the staircase? I'd say justice is served."  
Amber yelled. "Y-you!" Amber raised her hand and Lara looked back at her in shock.  
"Are you seriously going to hit me over something so stupid?" Lara asked, the teddy bear dropping from her hands as she prepared to defend herself.

Before Amber could slap Lara, someone intervened.

_Castiel came out of nowhere and put his arm around Lara's shoulders – Date dialogue, episode 5._

"Hey there Amber. You aren't causing my girlfriend any trouble are you?" Castiel asked, a smirk on his face. Amber's face went red.  
"G-girlfriend!?" She asked, lowering her hand and looked between Castiel and Lara. Lara played along, smiling and placing a hand on Castiel's chest.  
"Oh, you didn't know?" She asked sweetly. Castiel leaned his head on Lara's.  
Amber choked on her words before backing away, pouting. "You better watch out Lara! When I come back from my suspension I'll… I'll…"  
"You'll what?" Castiel cut Amber off. Lara burst out laughing and Amber huffed, turning around and running off.

Castiel retreated from the laughing Lara and bopped her lightly on the head, his cheeks a light pink. "Why is it that when I see you you're always getting yourself into trouble, crazy girl." He asked, an amused smile on his face.  
"Trouble is my middle name?" Lara suggested. Castiel rolled his eyes. "But Castiel, that was pretty smooth. Guess you're my knight in shining armour." Lara curtsied, holding the folds of an invisible dress.  
"Don't call me that and don't assume I'm always going to be here to save you! Anyway, I don't like Amber so it was a _pleasure_ watching her squirm." Castiel said.

Lara chuckled, picking up the teddy bear from the floor and dusting it off. "In that case, you don't have to be my knight in shining armour. You can be my side-kick instead." Lara said happily.  
"Your _what?_"  
"Sidekick! You know, the co-protagonist? The partner-in-crime? The one who swoops in at the very last second to help the hero?" Lara explained.  
"How about the one who swoops in to the knock the wannabe hero on the head, because of how she stupidly keeps getting herself into trouble?" Castiel threatened, balling his hand into a fist.  
Lara grinned cheekily. "Either way, Amber is the villain so I'm fine with that."  
Castiel chuckled evilly. "Good point. Anyway, let's get out of here." He said.  
"But what about club activities?" Lara asked jokingly. In all honesty, she didn't want to attend the gardening club today. The thought of having to sit outside with the sun in her tired eyes just made her want to bang her head against the wall.  
"Who cares?" Castiel gave her the answer she expected.  
"Aw, Cassie, you too scared to go the music room for music club? Scared of a ghost?" Lara teased, expecting and dodging the slow fist coming her way and laughing at the profanities that exited Castiel's mouth.  
"Like I said, who cares? I feel like pizza, anyway." He started walking down the corridor, turning his head back to face Lara. "You coming or what, crazy girl?"  
Lara ran to catch up to him, grin on her face. "Hell yeah I am! Let's go!"


	10. Hiatus

ON BREAK So this is going on a hiatus. I honestly don't plan on scraping the story altogether. I do know how it ends and I have the ideas and everything. I just have no time to write chapters anymore, as life got in the way. I hate to leave it in the middle like this but it has to be done. I will get back to it, definitely, because there's nothing more that I hate than reading a story and then having it cut off, which is how some of you, the followers/favouriters of this story must feel. I do apologise. For those of you who want to stick with the story and wait out this break (which I don't know when will end), I thank you for your support. If not, then fair enough and I totally understand. So that's it for now. Take care all of you and hopefully I'll see you all with a new chapter as soon as I can :) - PrincessDarkHearts 


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